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

[Riverbrian]

This Article articulates the very reason I have said over and over again in regards to Larnachs continued presence on this roster. 
 

Trevor Larnach is not the place to start!
 

 

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

This Article articulates the very reason I have said over and over again in regards to Larnachs continued presence on this roster. 
 

Trevor Larnach is not the place to start!
 

 

Sure, but that doesn't mean he's good. It means he's less bad. It doesn't mean he should be on the roster. He also plays OF.... Not catcher, not short, not first....

[Nashvilletwin]

25 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

I get what you're saying, but...

To be competitive I think you need to have a couple studs amongst your young guys. You have the studs in place in Ryan, Lopez, Buxton. Trading them and Jeffers gives you more prospects, but you then have to assume that several of the prospects are going to become the studs. If you're going to assume that several of the prospects are going to become studs, you might as well pair them with the existing studs you have. 

I would listen to offers on Ryan and Lopez (and only trade one), but I'm only trading them for two players already in the majors. I'm not sure other teams will offer that. 

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

As long as the “major league” players returned could be more than reasonably likely to be part of the post lockout core; otherwise, the next best thing are high upside nearly ready prospects. 

[palmspringstwinsfan]

Great piece Nick. There’s so much work to do on this roster I can only wonder how the FO let it get so bad. Cutting payroll doesn’t speak to the glut of LH OFers and others who don’t offer value (Gasper, Julien, etc). It just looks like FO incompetence. 

[mikelink45]

59 minutes 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?

Grey is also going to cost 40 M, is a one year contract and has a record of staying healthy and eating innings.  But if Boston wants to go after Ryan it won't be deterred by this trade. 

[nicksaviking]

23 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I'd rather have Casas at 1b/DH (more DH maybe?) than I would Wallner at RF/DH. Just my opinion. But really, let's say Rodriguez or Jenkins or Roden all show they are better defensive options in the outfield than Wallner is. Then the question (nothing to say about Casas at all) is Wallner truly a core guy in 2027 ongoing?

But yeah, I don't know that I see both of them here and that working. I agree with that.

Wallner might not end up being a core guy, but if both guys are basically just going to DH and only play part time in the field, I'd rather have the better hitter, which looks to be Wallner.

[mikelink45]

I am having a hard time understanding this roster, but I think you have to look at the other TD posting that has Falvey in limbo with no budget, no minority owners, and no direction from the owners.  So all Falvey can do is pick up scraps.  In some ways he is in an enviable position if ownership ever gives him a green light because, as you point out, there is no shortage of DFA material here.

So, like Falvey, we can only wait for minority owners, a budget, and low cost options.  Plus we can hope the prospects coming in succeed in a way that our last group hasn't.  

[nicksaviking]

54 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

 

All in all, this FO seems to make a higher than average number of moves. I hope that's the case again. I think the challenge (both for the FO and for fans' patience) is that most of the moves are likely to be what I call needle-nudgers rather than big splashes. Signing Orze and trading someone with little chance of playing for a potential backup catcher in Jackson are both needle-nudgers. 

They had been reliable for making moves until last off season. Then they signed three players who drew no more than yawns, one of whom was on a minor league deal. 

Maybe others are getting different vibes, but this feels closer to last off season than the prior off seasons.

[Riverbrian]

18 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Sure, but that doesn't mean he's good. It means he's less bad. It doesn't mean he should be on the roster. He also plays OF.... Not catcher, not short, not first....

Your call Mike… Not Mine. 
 

You lost me when you said “Basement”.

[Cory Engelhardt]

23 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Wallner might not end up being a core guy, but if both guys are basically just going to DH and only play part time in the field, I'd rather have the better hitter, which looks to be Wallner.

That could be true. SO MANY paths that this offseason can go towards.

[Pat]

It is a remarkably talentless group.

[Linus]

This is a timely article as we debate trying to compete in 26 or shoot for post lockout. IMO being competitive in 26 is going to require a threading of a needle that is beyond Falveys comfort level and ability. Two difference making bats would have to be acquired by trade and the making of a bullpen almost from scratch. Oh and several players taking a step forward and several like Buck who would have to maintain a high level. Can that be done?  Sure but don’t like those odds. Seems like a more sure way to eventual success with higher upside is to blow it up but make sure you get high level minors returns. 

[Mike Sixel]

40 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Your call Mike… Not Mine. 
 

You lost me when you said “Basement”.

That was strong! Do you believe it makes sense to keep him, given the rest of the roster and the cost for a team likely cutting cost?

[sweetmusicviola16]

Unfortunately many of this group will be on the opening day roster and all of them will see playing time on the 2026 team unless some significant changes aren't made. I'm not expecting these significant moves to be honest.

[Nick Nelson]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Agree except I'd count nine fringe (very generous word) players, not seven. Kody Clemens for sure is fringe and unless we buy 100 plate appearances for a 30-year-old journeyman catcher, the newly acquired Alex Jackson is the definition of a fringe player.

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.

[nicksaviking]

7 minutes 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.

For sure; I agree they are safe, if for no reason than the front office is going to want to try to prove they were right about those guys.

Nothing against those two players, but I wish this team was in a better position to where they were not safe though. I don't think they'd be locks on the majority of rosters.

[TJSweens]

The roster situation is a testament to what a miserable job this organization has done scouting, drafting and developing talent. They went through a phase of drafting slow footed oafs who strike out a lot and pitchers who can't get through a season without tearing a UCL or shoulder muscle. Those who can stay healthy, generally peak at AA.

The upside is that they have plenty of options that should clear waivers if they add talent.

[Brett]

After trading a quarter of the 40 man at the deadline, I’m not shocked by the state of the current roster. It will look very different by the time pitchers and catchers report, assuming some sort of payroll floor is set. Until then, I trust the TD community to post up multiple pages of comments on posts like this. So, honestly, thanks for giving me something to do over the winter.

[Blyleven2011]

We have had a mess on the 40 man roster for quite sometime , with 2023 an unusual exception ...

We have wanted righthanded hitting outfielders and really just have Martin  , we traded for Margot  , signed gallo , and a few other dumpster diving players i can't recall their names  ...

we have needed a first baseman for years since mauer retired , arraez did have a few years there but coukd hit homeruns so traded and we have only signed one year rentals since  ...

We had at one time an abundance of second baseman's  , what has happened  , they have either regressed or were traded  , keaschall for now is out second baseman  ....

Now we need a more up the middle shortstop for better defense , Correa was given away ( if you want to say traded , thats okay too ) ...

Third base is manned by Lewis for 2026  ...

Utility , Gonzales was very good , Castro capable but now we are regressing in that area to allow players some rest ...

Find a permanent position for each player and let them play there , utility players are the ones that should be at least capable of playing other positions  ...

Im not even going to mention our pitching staff of starters and bullpen arms other to say some of our starters could be traded for payroll relief this winter and we have a mess in the bullpen because we traded off our best and with years of control at the deadline and really got nothing back that was major league ready other than the Tampa Bay pitcher and the Phillies pitcher , 

Roden and Outman haven't proved a thing yet , did i miss anyone from the deadline trades that debuted with the twins after the deadline ...

[tony&rodney]

There is widespread disagreement on Twins Daily. 

An article today pushes the dysfunction of the ownership group and wonders when an answer on all topics related to Pohlads and support of their baseball team will be revealed. Well, the Pohlads apparently have some financial "things" to straighten out and the Twins are not going to be receiving extra money at this time. That is apparently, but some folks may disagree. 

Then this article posits that the 40 person roster is a mess. Well, who put this roster together? Who has had more money at their disposal for their roster than any other AL Central team and clubs such as Milwaukee and Tampa Bay in the last ten years? Please tell all of us if you have ever heard of a billion dollar corporation not having any general budgets or financial communications. It would be a first. Are we crazy when we have people tell us or we believe that the front office of the Twins have absolutely no idea of how much money they are going to spending in the next year for payroll? The entire idea stretches all reality of hundreds of years of corporations. 

We look at the 40 person roster and make declarations of who should or should not be kept? WTF? There is a person who has made these decisions all along and this team is exactly his personal dream team within the limits of his budget. Of course the 40 is a mess. The guy making the decisions is the reason. People sound like they have empathy for the front office which is .... apparently .... being asked to field a team on a budget similar to their peers, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay. Why? Demand work.

If you ask me the problem with the franchise is neither ownership nor the dugout.  It lay between the two. A goal to win 75 games is not so regal from my chair. So how can change take place? I have no idea. I know the Red Sox just picked up a #3 starting pitcher who can be very good at times for $21M plus a couple of guys who they never expected to pitch in Fenway too often, although Clarke has some talent. Meanwhile, the Twins?

While I'm ranting, I am curious about the number of Twins fans  who actually watched most, if not all, of the games (9 innings, not 5 minutes) in August and September last season? This is the roster we currently have, which was a roughly .333 team. All of the "IF's" in the world cannot lift that team above 75 wins. Roll it back and hope for the best has been a widely repeated comment. The young guys (they are not young) will prosper. Really? The offseason's before 2024 and 2025 were the same conversation. 

Change needs to take place now before the Twins are consigned to 65-75 win teams for a decade. Can we trust the front office? No, less than ownership but it is all we got - hope.

 

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

That was strong! Do you believe it makes sense to keep him, given the rest of the roster and the cost for a team likely cutting cost?

Yes

Especially when you look at the rest of the roster. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

That was strong! Do you believe it makes sense to keep him, given the rest of the roster and the cost for a team likely cutting cost?

You make some good points Mike. The biggest issue is the construction of the roster. It's actually not that Trevor doesn't have value. He's played the game at average play and that does have value. He has greater value than any of the guys mentioned in this article and maybe a couple of others on the team not mentioned here. But the team is constructed in such a poor way that having Trevor on it doesn't make sense. I agree. That however isn't on Trevor himself. it's on those constructing. smh I still believe there's a good chance of him being traded, but who knows. But even so he's actually earned a spot on the team as opposed to some others who will also make the team and shouldn't. If Trevor were near the end of the bench we'd be a WS caliber team.

[RpR]

1 hour ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Unfortunately many of this group will be on the opening day roster and all of them will see playing time on the 2026 team unless some significant changes aren't made. I'm not expecting these significant moves to be honest.

Hip, Hip Hooray

[DocBauer]

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.

[Doc Lenz]

5 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

My hope is a deal with Boston for Tristan Casas. They may need to look to move him anyway, and I think he has it in him to be a good player. Could even be more of a DH, but with health he has the type of bat to be a middle of the order bat. 

Casas had played 92 games the last two years. Can’t stay on the field.

[Doc Lenz]

5 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Grey is also going to cost 40 M, is a one year contract and has a record of staying healthy and eating innings.  But if Boston wants to go after Ryan it won't be deterred by this trade. 

Cardinals paying 20 million of salary.

[Cory Engelhardt]

21 minutes ago, Doc Lenz said:

Casas had played 92 games the last two years. Can’t stay on the field.

 

22 minutes ago, Doc Lenz said:

Casas had played 92 games the last two years. Can’t stay on the field.

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

[PatPfund]

If you signed Wili Castro, you could DFA Clemens, Fitzgerald, Gasper, Kreidler, McCusker, and Outman, and probably improve on both sides of the ball. (I like Fitz, and McCusker kinda got Rocco’d, but your points on them and the rest are valid.) Put Larnach and Wallner on the block and take the best offer on either, then give the other a 1B mitt and have them lumber around in a position for big slow dudes. Do the same for maybe Gonzalez and Mendez. And scour the late FA lists and ST waivers for better organizational depth. I’d rather see Fedko and Rosario get shots before packing peanuts like Kreidler.

[mikelink45]

26 minutes ago, Doc Lenz said:

Cardinals paying 20 million of salary.

True. What would we be paying if they took Ryan? We're paying on Correa. That seems to be the new paradigm and Major League baseball and it makes no sense except to say the contracts they sign are too large to begin with. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Perada as a 3rd catcher is the only of these I can really find a real reason to keep on the 40 man. The rest, and possibly a couple others, will hopefully not be on the roster when the season starts. 

It almost gives me hope that there will be some moves made to make the team better.