Amid 40-Man Roster Crunch, Minnesota Twins Likely to Non-Tender Trevor Larnach Friday

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Teams have until 7 PM Central on Friday to decide whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players for 2026. The Twins will be one of the busiest teams in the league at this annual miniature deadline, as they have seven eligible players on their 40-man roster right now—even after cutting three such players earlier this month. 

The headliner, of course, is Trevor Larnach. Though Ryan Jeffers, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Royce Lewis are all on the list with him, their places on the roster are relatively safe. The Twins might well trade any of the four within the next nine months, but they're not going to jettison any of them and lose them for nothing, just to save a few million dollars. Larnach is in a different situation. He batted .250/.323/.404 in 2025, but is now set to make nearly $5 million in his second season of arbitration and his penultimate year of team control. Those aren't atrocious offensive numbers, but for a guy with virtually no defensive value and little projection for growth left, they're underwhelming. 

Just as importantly, the Twins have a surfeit of young players with profiles sufficiently similar to Larnach's that they won't miss him if they lose him this winter. Cutting bait on him should free up a little bit of money to be spent elsewhere on the roster, but it will also ease the logistical crunch the team has been facing for some time. They're one of 18 teams who enter Friday with a full 40-man list, and while it's nice to know they aren't alone, they need more flexibility than that. Friday is their last chance to create an opening on the roster so that they can make a pick in next month's Rule 5 Draft, should they wish to do so. 

Moving Larnach aside would also make it easier to find playing time for Alan Roden, James Outman, Austin Martin, Matt Wallner, and outfield prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez. It would give the team a chance to slide Luke Keaschall to the outfield at times, and to play both Kody Clemens and Edouard Julien against right-handed pitchers at times. Larnach is a better hitter than Julien, but at this point, he's also a more expensive one, and Julien has the greater upside. 

Whether Larnach is simply released or traded will be interesting, but it's hard to imagine him coming back. Cole Sands will join Jeffers, Ober, Ryan and Lewis in being tendered deals, while Justin Topa is a borderline guy. To create more roster flexibility, the team could dump Topa as well as Larnach. It could come down to whether Topa is willing to agree to terms the Twins find team-friendly. If so, he'll stick around. If not, rather than take him through the full arbitration process and deal with the lingering uncertainty about his 2026 salary for another six weeks or so, the team is likely to non-tender him.

Topa is the only obvious candidate for a pre-deadline agreement Friday, but similar ones for Ober, Lewis or Sands are also possible. Since they're likely to be subjects of trade discussions in the weeks ahead, Jeffers and Ryan could sign deals Friday, locking in their salaries and making negotiations a bit easier afterward. There will be news in Twins Territory Friday evening. It might be small, but the roster will further take shape, even if that comes only in the form of one or two existing possibilities being foreclosed upon.

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[Paul Walerius]

Do writers for twins daily realize they can't "speak" trades or position changes into existence?  Two years ago it was Varland as a starter, last year it was Jax as a starter, now they are trying to trade Lewis, when there has been no indication they are even considering it.   

[rdehring]

Should be an interesting day over at Target Field.  Personally, I believe Larnach has value.  Although I would be shocked if he is on their opening day roster, I remain hopeful that they keep him today so they can trade him over the next few months.  Would love seeing Larnach moved for a solid reliever with a few years experience, even if the Twins need to add a prospect to get the right guy.

As for opening a spot on the roster so they can make a Rule 5 pick, there are several others that could be waived.  Top of my list is Julien.  Unlike you, the player we saw the last two years is the player he is and to me that has zero value.

[Riverbrian]

14 minutes ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

Just as importantly, the Twins have a surfeit of young players with profiles sufficiently similar to Larnach's that they won't miss him if they lose him this winter.

I'm one of the loudest voices in support of youth on this website. 

However... If our youth performs so well that we won't miss Larnach.

Buy your season tickets now so you get good seats for the playoffs and reserve your October hotel.

If the entire team out hits Larnach. We are playoff bound.  

 

 

[mikelink45]

I personally would eliminate Julien and Outman.  Larnach is borderline and depends on whether they are going to move the young hitters up.  If so we have a lot of mediocre talent to move like Roden and maybe even Wallner.  

I would like to see Walker, Rodriguez, Gonzales, and Buxton as the top four OF players this year.  What have we got to lose?

[TJSweens]

18 minutes ago, Paul Walerius said:

Do writers for twins daily realize they can't "speak" trades or position changes into existence?  Two years ago it was Varland as a starter, last year it was Jax as a starter, now they are trying to trade Lewis, when there has been no indication they are even considering it.   

Also baffling is that the writers are trying to speak an upside for Julien into existence. He simply doesn't have one. He has regressed the last two years and isn't even a good AAA hitter anymore.

[thelanges5]

Larnach for a bullpen piece with MLB experience needs to happen. Keep Topa for $1.7m. They have other guys they can drop for rule 5 adds or FA signings. 

[FlyingFinn]

"Moving Larnach aside would also make it easier to find playing time for Alan Roden, James Outman, Austin Martin, Matt Wallner, and outfield prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez. It would give the team a chance to slide Luke Keaschall to the outfield at times,"

The biggest reason Larnach should be traded (not released) is Walker Jenkins, not even mentioned in this above quote.

Also, as with others, I just can't see any need to "find" playing time for James Outman. DFA him.

[Jeff K]

8 minutes ago, TJSweens said:

Also baffling is that the writers are trying to speak an upside for Julien into existence. He simply doesn't have one. He has regressed the last two years and isn't even a good AAA hitter anymore.

No kidding.  I can't see any value in considering Julien as part of the equation, especially in comparing him to Larnach.  neither can field, but Larnach has hit some.  I am ok with non tendering Larnach, but Julien is not the answer.  Additionally, I have no idea why there is a so called crunch for the Twins 40 man roster.  There are several players remaining, including Julien, who could easily be jettisoned.

[rdehring]

21 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

I personally would eliminate Julien and Outman.  Larnach is borderline and depends on whether they are going to move the young hitters up.  If so we have a lot of mediocre talent to move like Roden and maybe even Wallner.  

I would like to see Walker, Rodriguez, Gonzales, and Buxton as the top four OF players this year.  What have we got to lose?

Agree with much of what you are saying, mike.  Although you threw me a curve when talking about your four outfielders.  Kept thinking the Twins don't have an outfielder with a last name of Walker.  Assume you mean Jenkins?

My disagreement stems from so many of you claiming that Roden is mediocre or worse.  If you look at his minor league stats and claim he is mediocre, then all three of the kids you would like to see are also likely to be mediocre.  Let's not throw him under the bus after what, 100 big league at bats with a trade in the middle of them.

[Whitey333]

If one of the biggest reasons to dump Larnach is his potential 4 or 5 million dollar salary win in arbitration then it makes no sense at all to keep Lopez and his $21 million salary for 2026.  Probably same with Ryan and his arbitration salary.  No im not even considering comparing Larnachs value to Ryan and Lopez.  He isn't anywhere near them in team value.  I think they should offer arbitration to Larnach then trade him at some point this off season for whatever you can get.  Don't lose him for nothing.  Just another example of how Twins screw up so many of these can't miss prospects.  Any faith in Twins doing better with the next wave of can't miss prospects?  I don't think they have earned that at all.

 

[Mahoning]

If Twins leadership dumps Larnach to make room for Outman they are beyond hope. Larnach drove in over 60 last year. Not one of his imagined replacements can be assured of matching that number.

[jmlease1]

There's no real 40-man roster reason to "need" to non-tender Larnach; there's several candidates that could be DFA'd without any real consequence (McCusker is an obvious choice that even plays OF, but there are several others). To me, if Larnach is non-tendered it's about money and the Cheap Pohlads setting the payroll at a very low level for 2026.

I hope he's traded rather than non-tendered, but I suspect there's little market for him. He's a league-average platoon bat with no real defensive value, some injury history, who is getting more expensive, turning 29 before the season starts, and has limited upside. Not sure who is clamoring to pay that guy $4-5M; I expect he either signs a 1-year deal as a free agent in the $2-3M range or goes to Japan/Korea.

[miracleb]

26 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

"Moving Larnach aside would also make it easier to find playing time for Alan Roden, James Outman, Austin Martin, Matt Wallner, and outfield prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez. It would give the team a chance to slide Luke Keaschall to the outfield at times,"

The biggest reason Larnach should be traded (not released) is Walker Jenkins, not even mentioned in this above quote.

Also, as with others, I just can't see any need to "find" playing time for James Outman. DFA him.

Agree....I would lump Kody Clemens in with Outman as well.....

[Major League Ready]

If the goal is to field the best team possible on opening day, Larnach should be part of the team.  If the goal is to build a winner, I don’t see Larnach playing a role in that goal.  As a matter of fact, he is a hindrance because he would take a roster spot away from a player that could contribute to the team contending down the road.  They should non-tender him unless they believe they can trade him which seems like a reasonable possibility.

Buxton and Martin are sure bets and Roden / Wallner are relatively safe bets.  Outman is probably the 5th man because he can play CF.  However, he has until Jenkins is up to earn his keep.  He fills a short-term need for now.  It will get really interesting if Rodriguez and/or GG are raking in AAA.  Larnach just does not fit into this equation if the goal is building a contender.
 

[stringer bell]

Trevor Larnach is an average hitter with little or no additional value. I would say that he is a proven mediocrity. He's worked hard to be as good as he is, but from his career arc, it looks like this is as good as he's going to get. If the Twins want to be a good team, they need better hitting than that from a corner outfield or DH spot.

The 40-man spot he occupies and his looming salary increase are two reasons to non-tender him. I personally think there are others to cut from the 40-man roster but saving $5+M to spend on bullpen/backup catcher/infielder seems to be prudent.

To me, the wild card in the roster maneuvers is Alan Roden. His profile is that of an above-average hitter and fielder who can play all three outfield spots and maybe first base. If that is what he is, he should be in the lineup most of the time for the 2026 Twins, giving the Twins yet another corner option and making it pretty crowded in the outfield.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I'm one of the loudest voices in support of youth on this website. 

However... If our youth performs so well that we won't miss Larnach.

Buy your season tickets now so you get good seats for the playoffs and reserve your October hotel.

If the entire team out hits Larnach. We are playoff bound.  

 

 

Only the other potential outfielder/DH types have to outhit Larnach. I don’t think the backup catcher or shortstop has to worry too much about outhitting him. 

[old nurse]

Pretty much most of the other outfielders have a higher ceiling than Larnach. Larnach has established a floor level. It is above what the others have done. The chance of a minimal raise being accepted is still there until the deadline.  

[Drtwins]

I’d be fine if the Twins were able to trade Larnach for bullpen help or prospects, but non-tendering him for a roster spot doesn’t make sense. And let’s be real the Pohlad’s aren’t going to use this money to bring in proven talent which would cost more. Yes, he is a defensive liability, but even his league average bat is top 5 on the current roster. The Twins have plenty of OF options, but can use help at first or DH. Larnach will out hit Julien and Clemens. IMO there are several players who should come off the 40-man before Larnach, as many others have noted: Outman, Keirsey, McKusker, Kreidler, and Julien. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

If the entire team out hits Larnach. We are playoff bound.  

I wouldn't bet on the entire team but the entire outfield could. That's where most of the young talent is.

[DJL44]

22 minutes ago, Drtwins said:

IMO there are several players who should come off the 40-man before Larnach, as many others have noted: Outman, Keirsey, McKusker, Kreidler, and Julien. 

I am pretty sure none of those guys will survive the 40-man roster purge this offseason. They can find minimum-salary free agents who are better options.

[chpettit19]

I'll be pretty surprised if Larnach isn't non-tendered today. I'd guess they've been trying to trade him up until now but there are no takers. Much like Eddie Rosario a few years back. Teams don't give up players to bring in guys who aren't worth their arb salary. They try to sign them after they're non-tendered and sign someone else if they don't get that guy because they're a dime a dozen.

This entire discussion is a microcosm of the Twins organization right now. If the Twins were talking about bringing in a guy with no defense, no base running, and only a little above average against righties as a strict platoon DH type people here wouldn't be excited, and they certainly wouldn't be calling for the team to be trading for that guy. The Twins have just been so bad offensively that people have convinced themselves that Larnach is worth something because he was so important to this awful offense. Platoon DHs that should be hitting in the 6-9 holes against only righties are not vital pieces nor worth 4-5 mil. The Twins absolutely need better base running and defense, but this conversation just shows exactly why offense is still, by far, the number 1 need of the Minnesota Twins. Trevor Larnach getting nearly all of his PAs in the top 4 spots in the lineup is such a great example of how bad this lineup is. Same with Kepler before him. These guys are vital to Twins lineups while being guys who wouldn't hit in the top 5 or 6 of playoff lineups. The Twins need bats. Legit bats. So many bats.

[Riverbrian]

6 minutes ago, old nurse said:

Only the other potential outfielder/DH types have to outhit Larnach. I don’t think the backup catcher or shortstop has to worry too much about outhitting him. 

Not directly but indirectly a bat is a bat. If our SS and C isn't hitting. Having someone who can hit at other positions is rather important. 

But OK... If 3 outfielders besides Buxton and Wallner perform in 2026 above Larnach in 2025. We will be in real nice shape in the OF and DH.   

I get it... looking at the number of OF on the current 40 man. One will probably have to go along with McCusker and Keirsay for better balance.

Larnach is a strong candidate for departure but as I make my constant cries for youth and development at the major league level and as much as I complain about cheap one year contracts. I would still never type the line. 

2 hours ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

Just as importantly, the Twins have a surfeit of young players with profiles sufficiently similar to Larnach's that they won't miss him if they lose him this winter.

First I have to look up the word "surfeit". After I look up the definition. I'll just say... Larnach is one of the few proven major league level bats on this roster.

If he is replaceable today he will also be replaceable in May, In June, In July. We can let others take his job by earning if they are able and if they are able... We are Golden because Larnach is an above average bar to clear. 

 

 

  

[CRF]

I'd send Julien packing before Larnach, but they really should dump Julien, Larnach, Outman, and Keirsey. They have zero trade value anyway.  

[TopGunn#22]

Larnach doesn't really have a future with the Twins.  Not with the young guns coming up and the acquisitions of Roden and Outman last deadline.  Both Roden and Outman are much better defensive OF than Larnach.  Roden has the potential to be a solid hitter as well.  Outman at least hit 23 HR's one year for Dodgers.

There WOULD be value in letting Larnach go for nothing IF...IF...the Pohlad family and Falvey decided to reinvest the $5 million saved on an area of need for the team.  The Twins have no Closer on the roster at this point.  Nobody who even comes close.  Camilo Doval has closing experience.  The Yankees may not bring him back,  His price tag seems to be in the $6 million dollar range.  

Would the Yankees be interested in a dead pull, LH hitter in their stadium?  They have in the past.  Maybe Larnach just isn't what they're looking for.  But if I was the Twins GM I'd have already spoken to the Yankees about a possible trade of Larnach for Doval.  If there's interest, GREAT !  If not, I search elsewhere.

It's hard to be a Twins fan because there are zero indications there will be anything done to improve the team this off season.  Especially with stories coming out how Clemens and Julien are being counted on for major contributions in 2026.  We're all in the dark when it comes to the Twins.  But most of us know losing Larnach won't really hurt too bad.  

[Riverbrian]

16 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I wouldn't bet on the entire team but the entire outfield could. That's where most of the young talent is.

Let the entire outfield show it. Then make your moves. 

I don't propose Larnach play all 162 games. I don't even propose that Larnach plays 130 games. Outman and others will get opportunity to show it so let them show it.   

If they do... I'll drive Trevor to the airport myself. This works itself out over time and it doesn't have to be a long time either. Just allow for fair competition and in the meantime. Larnach is one of our few proven major league hitters and his contract isn't expiring.     

But again... I get it. The 40 man roster has to be proportioned better. At least one OF will have to go beyond McCusker and Keirsay. Larnach is going to be a prime candidate if not thee candidate.  

[nicksaviking]

I don't have any problem cutting ties with Larnach. I do have a problem suggesting this team has any kind of roster crunch.

Aside from Larnach, I count nine other position players this team can drop with zero remorse. 

If I had to rank them, Larnach might actually be my tenth choice to drop, but he is paid more. And I guess that matters to some people......

[Bodie]

44 minutes ago, Drtwins said:

 

I’d be fine if the Twins were able to trade Larnach for bullpen help or prospects, but non-tendering him for a roster spot doesn’t make sense. And let’s be real the Pohlad’s aren’t going to use this money to bring in proven talent which would cost more. Yes, he is a defensive liability, but even his league average bat is top 5 on the current roster. The Twins have plenty of OF options, but can use help at first or DH. Larnach will out hit Julien and Clemens. IMO there are several players who should come off the 40-man before Larnach, as many others have noted: Outman, Keirsey, McKusker, Kreidler, and Julien. 

The Twins have no corner outfielders.  To think you are going to get MLB talent trading any of the "candidates" is just... asinine. 

[twinstalker]

2 hours ago, Mahoning said:

If Twins leadership dumps Larnach to make room for Outman they are beyond hope.

So you've noticed...

[Riverbrian]

39 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I don't have any problem cutting ties with Larnach. I do have a problem suggesting this team has any kind of roster crunch.

Aside from Larnach, I count nine other position players this team can drop with zero remorse. 

If I had to rank them, Larnach might actually be my tenth choice to drop, but he is paid more. And I guess that matters to some people......

Exactly 

He's just not where you start. 

Money... Last year I might have cared when we were scraping for Ty France sized pennies in the cushions.

This year... his 4 or 5 million doesn't matter.

Payroll isn't going back up to 140 million... at least not this year and Pete Alonso isn't coming.