The Twins Have Work To Do on Their Mess of a 40-Man Roster

[Sjoski]

8 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

You can say that I'm a dreamer...

....and probably the only one.

[dxpavelka]

10 hours ago, DJL44 said:

And that doesn't count Walker Jenkins, who will need a spot next summer. Thank goodness they cut Keirsey. They also have 3 RH hitting OF and two more in the upper minors (Rosario and Fedko). They don't need 14 outfielders.

Pereda seems to be able to hit and throw but struggled to actually catch the ball.

You didn't even get into the marginal players like Kody Clemens, Austin Jackson and Eric Orze who were recently acquired for nothing or next to nothing.

Weird.  Seems like ALL of their OF are either left-handed hitting or right-handed hitting.  ZERO points for creativity.

[Bodie]

I'll start worrying about 40 man roster when they have a nine man roster to fill out the lineup!

Zero 1B.  No corner outfielders of any value.  A bullpen with a "break glass in case of emergency"  cover. 

Get numbers 1-9 set before you get too worked up about numbers 35 through 40.

[stringer bell]

It's certainly true that the 40-man roster is unbalanced right now. The Twins (rightfully) cut a number of pitchers right after the World Series, so there are a larger number of position players than they should be carrying. Secondly, they are way overloaded with corner outfielders, most of them left handed hitters. 

I'm certain there will be changes made. I would think they will add some bullpen guys and perhaps a couple of infielders. There are several easy DFAs and outrights on the roster. If Falvey reshapes the roster by making trades, the excesses are lefty hitting corner outfielders and pre-arb starting pitchers. If he wants top talent in return for players, it would be Lopez or Ryan.

[Russ]

Good assessment 

Once again a front office with no business making decisions on building a team, let alone a major league team and expect fans to come and watch.

[Mahoning]

This is why I roll my eyes every time I read that the Twins have a productive farm system. Their best AAA players last year were Gasper and McCusker. 

[Jeff K]

14 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I am completely flumoxed by the current 40 man. With no insult intended, just being caustic but accurate, at least half of the listed 7 shouldn't be rostered at this point.

JULIEN: Well, I guess if you want to give him ONE MORE CHANCE to see if he can resurrect his bat, OK I guess. But unless he surprises and becomes the 1B, allowing Clemens to be a utility player again, what does he offer? He has ZERO options, only plays 2 positions at a mediocre level, and only provides AAA depth if he clears waivers. Which he probably would. So what do they really see here?

OUTMAN: Almost 30yo, can't hit AT ALL, and his defense looked ordinary at best while with the Twins. Rodriguez plays CF, so does Jenkins, so can Roden and Martin to a degree. So can Fedko, to a degree. He should be OUT. Is this a Falvey ego thing?

McCUSKER: He was promoted while still hot in AAA and basically sat and got splinters. And then he finished the season after a cold 2nd half at AAA. WTH? They obviously don't believe in him.

GASPER/PEREDA: One is an actual catcher, one used to catch but his former team stopped playing him behind the dish. Neither is anything close to being a real talent. IF you want to actually roster a #3 catcher, then pick ONE and move on. But you could probably cut both and they'd probably go unclaimed and could be signed back on a MILB deal. 

KREIDLER/FITZGERALD: Even if he has a really good glove, Kreidler has proven he can't hit. Fitzgerald has shown at least a little with the bat, occasional power, can run a bit, and has a decent glove. But to keep BOTH? Isn't there a rule 5 or FA that could be added cheap to challenge this duo? I'm not saying there's another Castro out there just waiting for the right opportunity, 

And with all due respect, I'm going to include Larnach in this discussion. He didn't have to be offered arbitration. So why was he? Probably for the same reason 7 are still rostered. Falvey likes to set a FLOOR and then move forward. If crap hits the fan in regard to payroll, Larnach can be the LH DH and play OF occasionally as necessary. But not only can he still be traded...which is what I think the FO is attempting to due...but his arbitration numbers and roster spot can still be removed. There is no guarantee involved just yet.

But to be frank, this a STUPID 40 man roster! While there might not actually be a viable NEED to add them, CJ Culpepper should have been added based on potential, despite some injury concerns. They don't seem to believe in Fedko as a possibility, but he he's younger than Outman, hits RH, can play multiple positions, and at least offers SOME upside. He may, or may not, have ML ability. But tell me Outman and McCusker do? 

All of this will probably figure itself out. Eventually, the Twins will sign a couple decent pen arms, and that will mean DFA for some of the guys on this list, the same way Keirsey was DFA. And at least one more has to go before the rule 5 draft. It's absolutely prudent for the Twins to take a shot at SOMEONE who might stick in the pen, or be a better option than Kreidler/Fitzgerald as a backup SS/utility option with potential. 

Even if they miss, what's better? Holding on to Outman/McCusker or taking a shot at a talent that might stick?

The 40 man has 7 very easy cuts. Again, some will go when a couple FA are signed. One should be gone for a possible rule 5 pick. But even though the risk of losing someone within the system is small, I would have just cut bait on most of these 7 and protected CJ Culpepper, and possibly Fedko and Rosario simply because they offer up a hell of a lot more upside than players who simply don't figure in to 2026 or the future.

100% agree.  Fedko and Culpepper are at risk and why?  Certainly not for so many of the guys still on the roster. I think the Twins started Fedko a few times this year at some level.  I wonder if he demonstrated any aptitude for it.  

[Old Twins Hat]

The reality of MLB baseball is that a guy like Ernie Clement, a pretty average MLB player if ever there was one, came within a whisker of winning World Series MVP and leading the Blue Jays to the pinnacle of the sport.

Everyone on a 40-man has played baseball all of their life.  If any one of them happens to have a good year, they shine, and the team, the manager and the GM all look like geniuses.  If a handful of them have good years, this multiplies and the team shines, and then articles come out about what geniuses the whole front office, the field staff --everyone in the organization is a genius.

It's not hard to figure:  you need players to play well, stay healthy, have career performance years -- as many as possible.  When you get that, teams have good years.

The problem is that, like everything in American society, there is a wealth disparity.  The floor of performance for Ohtani, Feeman and Betts is still going to be higher than Fitzgerald's and Kriedler's best year. 

Mathematically the window for winning when you have a roster like the Twins gets to be an extreme  outlier.   Not saying it can't be done, but the likelihood is very small -- almost impossible when you figure in the pitching quality of a team like L.A.  Though I would say to all the doubters on Twins Daily, L.A. and Toronto, their bullpens were not great this year.  They got to the World Series on starting pitching and their ability to score runs with legitimate hitters.

Cliche alert:  It's why we play the game.  To see if the teams like the Twins can muster something unusual for six months of baseball.  Most years, we know the answer.  But, it sure makes it special when you defy the odds and actually play better than the numbers would have us believe.  When that happens, the delirium of true fans is off-the-charts, because true fans get how crazy a year it has been -- how seismic the defying of baseball gods has been.

 

 

[D.C Twins]

[Bob Twins Fan Since 61]

20 hours ago, rdehring said:

Very interesting report, Nick.

When they added the 40-man guys the other day I took a look at the roster.  Was pleasantly surprised when looking at the pitchers that there weren't any of the 19 who were guys who clearly didn't belong.  The only problem I also noted was that 19 was a couple pitchers too few.

With the winter meetings ahead, will be interesting seeing how many of the seven you mentioned are with the Twins come the opening of spring training.  If it is most, booooo!  Like others, I see a couple who have a reason to stick.  But at least five of those guys should be long gone.  There area a couple not mentioned who should also be moved.  Hopefully, for something of value in return.

Did anyone else notice yesterday's trade of Sonny Gray to Boston?  Guess that takes one landing spot away for a potential Ryan trade.  Or does it?  Must admit it didn't seem like a top return for the Cards.  Is Gray viewed as being on the back end of his career?

I wonder about the Sonny Gray trade to Boston too and impact of trade with Twins too.  But then Dyan Cease signing with Toronto for 7 years and 182M was surprising to me.  He had a 4.5 ERA pitching in San Diego, whose ballpark is known as a strong pitcher's park.  He is 30 years old too.  If that's the price of starting pitching on the free agent market.  Trading for a starter will be viable alternative for teams looking to improving their rotation.  

[TopGunn#22]

Thumbs up for Doc Bauer on his reasoned rant on the 40-man roster.  Great points.  I want to return to the Wallner vs. Casas argument.  They are very similar.  Neither one is "clearly" better than the other at anything, with one HUGE difference...Casas, can at least play an acceptable 1B.  Wallner will never be a 1B.

Wallner has accumulated 826 MLB AB's.  Casas 816.  Wallner has struck out 314 times,  Casas 253 (in 10 fewer AB's).  Advantage:  Casas.  Wallner has 51 career HR's.  Casas 46.  Slight advantage:  Wallner.  Wallner will be 28 years old on December 12th.  Casas will be 26 years old about a month later.  Advantage:  Casas. 

And Casas can actually play 1B.  He's not a Gold Glove candidate and never will be.  I'm predicting with confidence that Wallner never plays an inning at 1B.  Do the Twins have a glaring need at 1B?  YES.  Do the Twins have an amazing glut of LH hitting OF?  YES.

With all due respect to those that think Wallner is the better hitter.  No.  Better player?  No.  Better fit on the current Twins MLB roster and 40-man?  No.  Casas has had a couple of freak injuries these last 2 years, but his 2023 season displayed his potential.  He's also hit more HR's in a single season than Wallner has to date (23).  Having BOTH on the team and in the same lineup would be a disaster.  Having one, who is 2 years younger and can play 1B would be a desired outcome.

The Twins are VERY weak at Catcher.  Jeffers is a poor defensive catcher and an above average hitter.  For the sake of pitching staffs worldwide, I say a better defensive catcher is better for the TEAM. With Jeffers being represented by Scott Boras he's never signing an extension with the Twins.  The thought of an extension is DOA.    

Maybe the Twins trade Jeffers (12.7 BBTV) to the Red Sox for Tristan Casas (13.5).  Red Sox get a catcher to pair with Narvaez and the Twins get a 1B for the now and the future.  It also opens up the possibility of trading Ryan (52.7) to the Red Sox for an All Star OF like Jarren Duran (49.5) or a promising SS (who could also play 3B) Marcello Meyer (51.2) in a one-for-one swap for Ryan.

Or, if you want to go full rebuild, you could look at the Mets for a blockbuster trade of Ryan 52.7 and SWR 12.3 (65.0 Total Value) for Nolan McLean 39.2, Mark Vientos 19.8 and Lefty SP David Peterson 8.6 (Total Value of 67.2).  I'd throw in Julien (2.6) as a deal clincher.  The Twins add Mclean and Peterson (who is on a very favorable 2026 contract of $7.6 million before hitting FA for 2027). 

Rotation is Lopez, McLean, Peterson, Bradley, Matthews and Abel (listed 6 because you'll need at least that). They could still trade Wallner 22.5 (and should) for a Catcher (Edgar Quero 17.8, Harry Ford 21.0 or Jefferson Quero (20.8).  If Wallner is as good as some here on TD think he is, the catching rich teams we would offer him to should jump at the chance to add a LH Power Bat.

Let's just say we acquire Edgar Quero from the CWS for Wallner in a one-for-one trade for the sake of argument.  You see what the rotation looks like.  Here's the 2026 lineup.

C  Quero/Williams  1B  Casas  2B  Keaschall  3B Lewis  SS Lee/Culpepper  LF  A. Martin/E-Rod               CF Buxton  RF Roden/Jenkins  DH Vientos (who can also play 3B/1B).  There are 3 guys with 25- 30 HR power and Royce Lewis makes a 4th.  The OF defense is much better.  The IF defense has the potential to be better, and the catching defense is MUCH better (Quero is an EXCELLENT catcher). 

At this point the BP is a HUGE question mark.  I would go against current Twins FO attitude toward the BP and sign Ryan Helsley to a 2-year $32 million dollar contract ($16 per) to have an established Closer and add a LH like Coulombe or Thielbar at an affordable price and fill out the pen with Topa, Funderburk, Festa, Ohl, Klein, Raya and Prielipp.   

This doesn't make the Twins the favorite to win the division.  Far from it.  But it would re-order the talent on the team far better than currently aligned.  It would give the Twins an excellent replacement for Ryan (Mclean) while still retaining Lopez to head the rotation.  It adds 2 semi-young power bats (Vientos 27 and Casas 26) and it allows for Jenkins and Em-Rod to ascend to the major league roster.  It established a "Catcher for the Now and Future" in Quero giving Tait and Jimenez ample time to develop.      

Are there flaws in my plan?  Certainly.  But these are moves that could take place without having to fret over what the budget would be.  The biggest stretch being signing Helsley for 2 years at $16 million per year.  But clearing Ryan and Jeffers allows for that. 

I know of one particular TD poster who will rebel at the idea the Mets would give up McLean in a deal to acquire Ryan.  We differ on our opinion, but if the Twins don't ask, they will never "get."  Some sort of deal could be worked to sub Tong 24.0 in place of Mclean 39.2 but that's 15.2 more points of value the Mets would have to make up.  Would that mean Jett Williams or Brandon Sproat in place of David Peterson ??  Probably.    

I apologize for the long post and that it took me this long to comment on a very interesting topic.  With all I've said above, I'll offer one more take on the 2026 rotation and lineup.  Simplify everything by switching out the Mets Joe Ryan trade and make a Red Sox trade adding Jarren Duran to our OF/lineup or Marcello Meyer.  I would go for Duran.  That way, if Buxton demands a trade, I've got an All Star CF.  I also don't block Culpepper, Marek Houston or hopefully Roch Cholowsky from SS and I give Brooks Lee at least until June 1st next year to prove he can be a MLB SS and hitter.    

[D.C Twins]

Just a little reminder that Twins situation and future planning could be worse... much worse....

[D.C Twins]

18 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

This skepticism is fair but I didn't include them because, a) they're both more or less locked into next year's roster whereas almost all of the guys I listed could be cut anytime, and b) they've actually shown some semblance of ability to provide value.

Clemens and Jackson were both worth more than 1 fWAR last year. which is nothing special but it's something. Almost all the other guys were sub-replacement.

"Nothing Special, But It's Something" 

Nick... you came up with the official marketing slogan for the 2026 Minnesota Twins.

You must quickly Trademark this so that you are properly compensated!

[Doc Lenz]

14 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

 

I mean, it was a couple of freak injuries. It’s also why he won’t cost a ton via trade potentially 

Okay

I still think a bit of a risk.

[Finlander]

Wallner may never play an inning at 1B. But maybe his arm would fit in the bullpen. 😀

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Old Twins Hat said:

The reality of MLB baseball is that a guy like Ernie Clement, a pretty average MLB player if ever there was one, came within a whisker of winning World Series MVP and leading the Blue Jays to the pinnacle of the sport.

Everyone on a 40-man has played baseball all of their life.  If any one of them happens to have a good year, they shine, and the team, the manager and the GM all look like geniuses.  If a handful of them have good years, this multiplies and the team shines, and then articles come out about what geniuses the whole front office, the field staff --everyone in the organization is a genius.

It's not hard to figure:  you need players to play well, stay healthy, have career performance years -- as many as possible.  When you get that, teams have good years.

The problem is that, like everything in American society, there is a wealth disparity.  The floor of performance for Ohtani, Feeman and Betts is still going to be higher than Fitzgerald's and Kriedler's best year. 

Mathematically the window for winning when you have a roster like the Twins gets to be an extreme  outlier.   Not saying it can't be done, but the likelihood is very small -- almost impossible when you figure in the pitching quality of a team like L.A.  Though I would say to all the doubters on Twins Daily, L.A. and Toronto, their bullpens were not great this year.  They got to the World Series on starting pitching and their ability to score runs with legitimate hitters.

Cliche alert:  It's why we play the game.  To see if the teams like the Twins can muster something unusual for six months of baseball.  Most years, we know the answer.  But, it sure makes it special when you defy the odds and actually play better than the numbers would have us believe.  When that happens, the delirium of true fans is off-the-charts, because true fans get how crazy a year it has been -- how seismic the defying of baseball gods has been.

 

 

Well said @Old Twins Hat. I'll add that there has been plenty of (probably justified) criticism of Falvey in the past 18 months, but the big picture is much more mixed. He put together a club that won 101 games and the Twins won three division flags and won a post-season series for the first time in more than two decades. I don't think all of that was luck, nor has the three late season collapses in the last four years. 

Many have pointed out that there isn't much proven talent left after the trade deadline purge. I don't think there is much chance to contend with the current group, but the upper minors do have players who could become fixtures in the last half of this decade. I have repeatedly stated that the biggest black mark for both Falvey and Baldelli is that they haven't developed good to excellent players out of good to excellent prospects.  

[RpR]

2 hours ago, Finlander said:

Wallner may never play an inning at 1B. But maybe his arm would fit in the bullpen. 😀

Put him in when the Twins get blown out; his power and inaccuracy would put fear in any batter.

[ashbury]

46 minutes ago, RpR said:

Put him in when the Twins get blown out; his power and inaccuracy would put fear in any batter.

Hopefully the Ohtani rule regarding DH and pitching will apply, because that happens to be the situation when Wallner has been at his best at the plate too.  (I hope the coaches help him fix that.)

[Rosterman]

Yes, the roster is a MAJOR mess. What do they have for a bullpen.

Assuming Lopez and Ryan stay, the rotation has Matthews, Ober and Woods-Richardson. You aren't getting rid of any of the other live arms: Abel, Bradley both ready and able. But you have Klein and Morris looking to show they belong in a rotation. You'd like lefties Rojas and Prielipp to prove they can throw 5+ innings and stay away from bullpen call. Raya pretty much needs to become a relief pitcher. But not ready to break camp (or maybe he can, as much as any Rule 5 pickup the Twins COULD make).

Right now the bullpen is Sands, Topa, Fundeburk, Orze, Adams. You can probably add Ohl and the best place for Festa to land at the moment. Still short an arm.

On the 40-man, you need at least one roster spot to cycle thru the minor league free agent bullpen arm, adding them, using them, waivering them, adding back another. If that is the fate of your pitching staff.

Of the 21 other roster spots, the Twins still need a first baseman, a solid shortstop (or backup shortstop), and a designated hitter.

The Twins are set at catcher. They have no one at first. At best, Clemens is valuable because he can play first and a variety of other positions, so he should duldill one of the bench roles. Right now, looks like Keaschall at second. Okay. But make a decision soon on where you do want him to play. Lewis and Lee are cemented for the far side of the infield, but both are currently bring same stats to the job. We can live with one of them playing this way, but not both. Lee would be a good bench guy in the end. But not sure if Culpepper is ready.

There is nothing non-replacable in Kreidler, Fitzgerald, Gasper or even Julien, That they are still on the roster is only because you have no faith in names like Fedko or Sabato.

The outfield in a mess. Buxton is still in centerfield, but not for more than another year or two. Martin shows he can bring something different to the plate than a host of guys hovering around or below .200. Larnach is okay, but you don't need both him and Wallne. Gotta make a choice. And can Wallner be a fulltime DH or even a first baseman? Sadly I would almost rather see France back at first and talk an aged Cruz back into being the DH. But that ain't gonna happen. McCusker never got an opportunity and is so far down on the ladder that he is only holding a replacement roster spot. Outman and Roden supposedly need to stay so it looks like the Twins didn't get skimmed at the trading deadline. But you then have Rodriguez, Mendez and Gonzalez also taking up roster space and none ar a logical spring training add to the roster going north.

As a matetr of fact, there are at least eight names that have little chance of breaking camp on the major league roster, which means the Twins have six spots to juggle for other players. In thiose six spots you need a potenial third catcher, although that can be an add/subtract position as needed, you need someone who can play shortstop - either starting or off the bench. It's nice to have someone who can also play first base in a pinch. And one of the outfielders who can also backup Buxton in center if needed. And you need that 13th pitcher that is a mop-up guy or cycled thru the bullpen as need be.

The biggie is who's on first. Clemens is the man for now. Julien as the backup and bench guy. Doesn't make me feel good. Lee is at short with Fitzgerald as the backup. Arrgh. Outman will find a place on the roster. Why they rgabbed Kreidler, and McCuskers fate are here and gone, I suppose.

But, hey, the Saints are going to have a dynamite rotation in Abel, Bradley, Morris, Klein, Rojas, Prilipp. Maybe Lewis and Raya will shine out of the pen. 

 

 

[Fatbat]

They (7) can all go. Maybe a few more but the FO wont.  I would venture to bet that we draft a rule 5 guy or 2 so we can evaluate more (younger fringe) talent in spring training.  Maybe they will catch a diamond in the rough. There is probably a Willi Castro type thats out there on waivers right now that will be a headline signing soon. Oh the possibilities!!! 😂 

None of these seven should be on the opening day roster if we want to be taken seriously. 

[Firehall]

The Falvey regime is a complete failure.  They should have cleaned house and given them all the boot. A horrible brand of baseball for the past two years. Baldelli was sleep walking spewing platitudes of nonsense. Derek Shelton? Blake Shelton would sell more tickets and generate at least curiosity.  Clean out all seven and Larny. Bring up Jenkins, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Culpepper  and a couple others. Let them at least try, may be painful, but it would provide direction for everything.  The robotic hitting system has failed, taken the heart and love of hitting off the table, find a better approach and try to develop hitters who want to be at the plate with the game on the line. Then talk to several successful high school coaches in our area whose teams play better situational and smarter baseball than we've seen in years. Been a Twins fan since 1961 so I won't quit, but Falvey and crew seem to have.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

On 11/26/2025 at 1:40 PM, IndianaTwin said:

Implied here seems to be the encouragement for folks to not get their collective shorts in a wad when not every need has been addressed by the end of the winter meetings.  

The question is, will the needs increase by the end of the winter meetings? Or decrease?

my bet is increase

[darin617]

It's not a bad spot to be in if you think about it. If someone gets released the Twins can easily drop like one of eight players and go from there. I know it's dumpster diving but you can always get lucky and find a gem. They should also grab a player in the rule 5 draft and maybe even trade for another if they see someone they really like there.