If Twins Must Play 2026 on a Miserly Budget, They Should Blow Up the Roster and Build a Super-Farm

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

If they were to get a normal number of wins out of the extra expenditure that would equate to 5 wins.  Do you think they are an 82-84 win team as constructed?  I think you are at least 10 wins high.   

Right now I put TC at 70 wins tops.

[Cory Engelhardt]

16 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Exactly. There's no one that would trade McLean (55 FV) for Ryan. Benge (#21 MLB) miiiiight be available but I highly doubt it. 

Very insulting to my boy Jett :-(

Jett is a step ahead of Culpepper. But, yeah, not exactly someone you look to build a franchise around. I am very excited to see him in the majors, but I do think he's traded somewhere this offseason so it likely won't be with the Mets. 

Is Jett for sure a step ahead of Culpepper as far as playing SS defensively? Honest question. 

[NYCTK]

12 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Is Jett for sure a step ahead of Culpepper as far as playing SS defensively? Honest question. 

They're probably about on par with Jett having a slight advantage. Jett seems to have better athleticism/flexibility which may mean he could still improve or degrade slower? He's played mostly SS to good, not great, reviews, similar to Culpepper himself. The only reason he's not been viewed by the Mets as a SS prospect is because of Lindor.

My best guess is they're both -5 to 0 run defensive shortstops. Whereas Lee seems like a -10 (or worse) run guy...woof. 

30 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

A little 5 foot 1 SS would become a fan favorite quickly and I'd love to see Jett push Brooks Lee so Brooks Lee can push Royce Lewis and even Luke Keaschall if he decides to look like Julien in his sophomore year.   

I do think Jett would be a great addition to the Twins (or any team). He could play any up the middle position competently, if not well, and, like you said, become a big fan favorite. Short king with wheels named Jett? That's gold for the marketing department. 

He's someone that would fit in perfectly on the Brewers. But, with Stearns having led that front office and essentially set that organizational philosophy we could see him refusing to trade him away (which would be foolish for the Mets). 

I know you mentioned you wouldn't be satisfied with him as the primary return for Ryan, and I can understand that, and because I've been watching him since he was in Brooklyn, I am clearly biased towards him. But I wouldn't hate it! Maybe him and Zach Thornton (who I just now learned is from Minnesota) for Buxton? That might be a more fair trade?

[Patzky]

3 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Totally agree with this.  And that's not to say that I like it, or agree with it, or think this is the best strategy.  But the Pohlads are clearly cutting costs whether we like it or not.  So if the choices are, "try" to "compete" by signing cheap washed up vets and keeping the kids down in the minors, or commit to a full rebuild and hope in 3-4 years we are actual contenders, I'm taking the latter every day.  

It talks good.. I was just trying to envision a starting lineup for 2026 if this comes to fruition.  C  Jackson Pereda 1B Clemens-Wallner 2B Keaschall SS Lee 3B Lewis OF Roden/ Martin/Rodriguez- Mendez- DH Julien- Gonzalez  SP Ober Zebby Morris SWR  Bradley RP Sands Topa Prielipp Coulombe (or whomever) Festa Funderburk Sands Klein

 

Sell tickets? Maybe. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

The primary thing I worry is, IF they truly do trade some really good veteran players for prospects, the history (at least recently) with full tear-downs hasn't shown the results we would all dream for. So IF they can get prospects who actually will be really good in the next 1-5 years, great. But I have my doubts.

I still think they can make a smart trade and receive a haul now for Ryan. I also agree with Tony + Rodney that they need to change out some of their roster to be better on defense. And doing those things doesn't have to mean cutting everything else to the bone so to speak.

What has history shown for mediocre teams just drafting and developing and not signing elite players or trading for them? History shows that it doesn't work either (might for a year or two, maybe). 

The only strategy that works consistently for winning is spending money.......

[Riverbrian]

16 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

They're probably about on par with Jett having a slight advantage. Jett seems to have better athleticism/flexibility which may mean he could still improve or degrade slower? He's played mostly SS to good, not great, reviews, similar to Culpepper himself. The only reason he's not been viewed by the Mets as a SS prospect is because of Lindor.

My best guess is they're both -5 to 0 run defensive shortstops. Whereas Lee seems like a -10 (or worse) run guy...woof. 

I do think Jett would be a great addition to the Twins (or any team). He could play any up the middle position competently, if not well, and, like you said, become a big fan favorite. Short king with wheels named Jett? That's gold for the marketing department. 

He's someone that would fit in perfectly on the Brewers. But, with Stearns having led that front office and essentially set that organizational philosophy we could see him refusing to trade him away (which would be foolish for the Mets). 

I know you mentioned you wouldn't be satisfied with him as the primary return for Ryan, and I can understand that, and because I've been watching him since he was in Brooklyn, I am clearly biased towards him. But I wouldn't hate it! Maybe him and Zach Thornton (who I just now learned is from Minnesota) for Buxton? That might be a more fair trade?

Honestly... this is where I have to trust my front office. 

I read scouting reports... I look at their AAA stats but... in the end... I'm just throwing out names when I really need a scout sitting next to me in North Dakota giving me more detail. I watched Culpepper, Jenkins and Mendez play one game in Wichita live. I had great seats and Jenkins and Mendez both hit the ball hard in that game. Culpepper was barely noticeable but I know I can't take that one game and say... Yep... Mendez is going to be a monster.    

The Twins and honestly most of the other 29 teams. I'm much more confident in my ability to identify.

When I look at the Twins currently... I just really want a young SS and 1B to add to this mix. If the front office thinks that guy is Jett. Go get him... because I don't want to start 2026 with Kreidler or Fitzgerald on the 26 man.

Let's load this thing up and start the upward trajectory.    

[SoDakTwinsFan]

This article is spot on!  No more assembling a roster that will compete for the last wildcard spot.  Put a roster together that will contend for a world series or rebuild.  It's not always going to work but we are not going to spend like the Yankees and Dodgers.  Are best bet is to have the star power on our team before they demand the big dollars.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

If the Twins move Buxton... Now you are probably talking about Jett. 

Jett Williams is a firm no for any of Ryan, Buxton, or Lopez. 

The Mets have Tong, Benge, maybe Sproat, and Clifford as a throw in. The Twins have collected more than enough of the other types of players. These kids can all play but there is a difference at the top, which is why McLean may be out of reach. The Twins can demand players.

Fangraphs is a very good baseball site but their word is not gospel. They have a dozen guys ranked ahead of Walker Jenkins that are deeper down in the minor leagues and possess warts like lack of speed and less than acceptable defense. An example - Ethan Holliday may be a superstar some day but he has not shown it yet, though he did ok at A ball for a young pup. He has work to do, for sure. I like him but just use him as an example of the less than perfect ratings. Nothing wrong with speculation but there are numerous sites and quite a few differences among them. Take many of the rankings with some skepticism, especially from large market teams where the hype is huge. We have been able to watch many of these players numerous times since milb.com began video of minor league games. If you saw a guy a couple of dozen times you can draw your own conclusion, especially if you have a deep background in baseball.

Bottom line is the Twins have to get it right or just hold on to the players until their price is met. I would be surprised if teams are not falling over themsleves trying to steal Joe Ryan with his $5.8M estimated arb contract. If a team doesn't pay the price let them miss the playoffs with their bargains.

[Dakota Native]

I am utterly amazed at the debt load the Twins are carrying. I am also wondering how in the world they got here. While I do not plan to analyze the situation, it would appear they tried to buy top-notch talent (for them) but did not drive marketing to support the financial burden of this talent. Now they are reverting to their roots before the effort to contract the team.  That is, being incredibly cheap. In all fairness, they have dug a hole and now have no choice but to enjoy living in it. So we are now back into the good old days of Calvin Griffith. He was cheap and no doubt a good role model for the Polads. So, like good ole Cal, the Polands should emulate him and pull a 1981/82 and jettison the expensive veterans and go with the kids from the farm. While we endured some horrible seasons, we did end up with a couple of World Series titles.  Is there a future Puckett, Hrbek, or Viola in the minors? If so, bring them up and have them learn on the job. Twins fans have been here before, so level with us and allow us to get behind the program.

[Mike Sixel]

8 minutes ago, Dakota Native said:

I am utterly amazed at the debt load the Twins are carrying. I am also wondering how in the world they got here. While I do not plan to analyze the situation, it would appear they tried to buy top-notch talent (for them) but did not drive marketing to support the financial burden of this talent. Now they are reverting to their roots before the effort to contract the team.  That is, being incredibly cheap. In all fairness, they have dug a hole and now have no choice but to enjoy living in it. So we are now back into the good old days of Calvin Griffith. He was cheap and no doubt a good role model for the Polads. So, like good ole Cal, the Polands should emulate him and pull a 1981/82 and jettison the expensive veterans and go with the kids from the farm. While we endured some horrible seasons, we did end up with a couple of World Series titles.  Is there a future Puckett, Hrbek, or Viola in the minors? If so, bring them up and have them learn on the job. Twins fans have been here before, so level with us and allow us to get behind the program.

I mean, they likely took on debt for every capital improvement they contributed. And anything else they could take on debt for. You make more profit if you invest less and make money (alas, they aren't making enough money for that to work, apparently, or took on more debt at a higher rate than they wanted over time).

[LyleCole]

AS I said a long time ago, rebuild is the way to go.  The trade value of Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan are at a maximum because they are coming off healthy seasons and their compensation levels are minimal to the teams that would be looking to acquire them.  I would add Ryan Jeffers to that group too.  

I would trade Lopez only if you get a solid offer.  Otherwise, keep Lopez and Bailey Ober and see if they can produce healthy results to start 2026.   Then move them to a contender.

The management MUST move the young prospects to the forefront.   Jenkins and Rodriguez should be in the opening day lineup.  Culpepper should be too.   I would keep Royce Lewis and hope that he can turn it around because he could still fit into any competitive timeframe.   Keep Brooks Lee as a super utility guy too.

As I have mentioned before, rebuilds take time.  Not every prospect you bring up is going to be a successful major league player no matter what their performance was in the minors.  Not every player will stay healthy.   One of the examples I use from the 1982 Twins Rebuild was the original center fielder they plugged into the lineup was Jim Eisenreich, who went from A ball to starting in centerfield for the Twins.  But Eisenreich unfortunately flamed out even, and it wasn't until 1984 that they brought Pucket up.   If they wait until 1983, or even 1984 to put Eisenreich into the lineup, it probably pushes Kirby back at least for some time.  

Get GROUP A of players up to the major leagues.  Find out who can play and who cannot.  Then bring in players to replace them from the farm.  

[Riverbrian]

17 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Jett Williams is a firm no for any of Ryan, Buxton, or Lopez. 

The Mets have Tong, Benge, maybe Sproat, and Clifford as a throw in. The Twins have collected more than enough of the other types of players. These kids can all play but there is a difference at the top, which is why McLean may be out of reach. The Twins can demand players.

Fangraphs is a very good baseball site but their word is not gospel. They have a dozen guys ranked ahead of Walker Jenkins that are deeper down in the minor leagues and possess warts like lack of speed and less than acceptable defense. An example - Ethan Holliday may be a superstar some day but he has not shown it yet, though he did ok at A ball for a young pup. He has work to do, for sure. I like him but just use him as an example of the less than perfect ratings. Nothing wrong with speculation but there are numerous sites and quite a few differences among them. Take many of the rankings with some skepticism, especially from large market teams where the hype is huge. We have been able to watch many of these players numerous times since milb.com began video of minor league games. If you saw a guy a couple of dozen times you can draw your own conclusion, especially if you have a deep background in baseball.

Bottom line is the Twins have to get it right or just hold on to the players until their price is met. I would be surprised if teams are not falling over themsleves trying to steal Joe Ryan with his $5.8M estimated arb contract. If a team doesn't pay the price let them miss the playoffs with their bargains.

I had a post a couple of above this one explaining that I'm not qualified to determine the value of Jett Williams or any of the prospects being discussed. Just throwing names out there to make my point that the Twins need to do exactly what your last paragraph states. They need to get this right. I think they need to take their Ryan trade chip and get the biggest baddest prospect they can land. I call him a Jenkins type talent.

And it's probably going to be hard to get that guy. 

 

[tony&rodney]

11 minutes ago, Dakota Native said:

So we are now back into the good old days of Calvin Griffith. He was cheap and no doubt a good role model for the Polads.

Let's not drag dear Uncle Calvin into this morass. Calvin had some of the highest paid teams in baseball but free agency (which was long past due) killed his cow. Calvin always ran on thin margins and supported quite a few family members. He was never a rich man in terms of lifestyle or personal wealth. Many of us live a far richer lifestyle than Calvin ever did. He held his money tight and was not prone to extravagance. All he really wanted to do was watch baseball. From batboy to owner, Calvin was the last pure baseball owner in baseball. Finances and corporations ate him alive. He was given verbal promises of some employment for his relatives, but when the ink dried his kin were shown the door. Verbal contracts were not corporate and neither was Calvin.

[tony&rodney]

10 minutes ago, LyleCole said:

Eisenreich unfortunately flamed out

Your point is absolutely correct that not all the best players work out. Stuff happens. 

You will remember that Eisenreich had severe Tourette's and after 3 years of trying to work through it with the Twins he was out of baseball for two years (he played some softball and a little Town Ball). Thereafter Eisenreich went on to have over 4,000 plate appearances and finished with 15 years of MLB service time. 

Baseball is hard and getting the right guys is tough too. I'm hoping the Twins get it right. 

[Mahoning]

If, as so many predict, 2027 will be a lockout year, then the calculating is to move stars now for guys who will be stars in 2028 and beyond. Well, no one on earth can predict the future, so the tear-down model is just as likely to fail as to succeed. Given the Twins' leadership's ability, so far, to develop stars, failure seems more likely than success. Yes, it's a tough time to be a Twins fan. I'd rather see youngsters given a chance this season than watch James Outman and Eddie Julien strike out.

[tony&rodney]

12 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

I had a post a couple of above this one explaining that I'm not qualified to determine the value of Jett Williams or any of the prospects being discussed. Just throwing names out there to make my point that the Twins need to do exactly what your last paragraph states. They need to get this right. I think they need to take their Ryan trade chip and get the biggest baddest prospect they can land. I call him a Jenkins type talent.

And it's probably going to be hard to get that guy. 

 

Sorry, I was too abrupt. Jett is the player all Mets fans and East Coast writers are hoping meets the Twins wishes. He can run and hit at AA. My argument against him is he strikes out a ton, has an average arm, and is not above average defensively. Both Benge and Williams had a little struggle in AAA, but I prefer Benge. I prefer Tong to either of those guys. Prefer Clark over any Mets.

I agree that getting the talent will be very difficult. However, there are guys getting big bucks to do their jobs and I just want them to get it right.

When i looked back, I sounded crappy. Sorry. I'm a little worried the Twins trade for good  instead of great. Will try to be polite.

[SteveLV]

Let's put it this way:

Which team would you want to watch on opening day?  The team they ran out there the second half of 2025, or:

Lopez SP, Alvarez (Mets) C, Lewis 3B, Culpepper/Lee SS, Keaschall 2B, Eldridge (Giants) 1B, Roden, Rodriguez, and Jenkins OF, Wallner DH. Fitz, Martin and Clemens utility.

Ober, Mathews, Festa, Abel, SWR, Bradley, Prielipp, Funderburk, Ohl, Klein, Sands, Adams, Morris and Raya rest of staff.

I vote the SECOND option by a MILE.

Jeffers and Buxton go to Mets for Alvarez and whoever else, and Ryan headlines deal to Giants for Eldridge plus.

If you fall out of contention, entertain offers for Lopez at the trade deadline.

[Doc Lenz]

4 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

This is exactly what I think.

The Twins have a lot of the same type of options because there are a ton of these same types of options available on nearly every team to acquire. A lot of players cut from the same cloth.,, you describe them as Roden and SWR level. Jorgenswest will call them FV 45+ - 50 based on Fangraphs ratings. The Twins probably have more of these guys than most organizations and that's fine... actually... that's good to be loaded up with them because some of those players will exceed that rating. But... we don't need a bunch more to add to this growing pile.   

What the Twins lack and have lacked for years if not decades... is the superstar prospect. Walker Jenkins is perhaps the only player who fits into that bucket. These guys are tough to acquire because nobody wants to give them up. I believe the Twins will not consider any trade of Jenkins and the other 29 teams feel the same about their Jenkins level guys. 

It will take dynamite to shake them loose in a deal. Joe Ryan is the closest thing we have to T.N.T... actually the only player that could shake one loose so I think they should get the biggest baddest prospect that Ryan will produce and that's your deal whoever that might be. 

They may have to wait for the free agency pile of decent starting pitching talent to dwindle.... wait for the musical chairs to run out of chairs before the contenders get desperate enough to give one of them up.

Until then... I would imagine the Twins can ask for the top prospect but I would expect an immediate counter offer... Umm... no...  we are not giving him up but I'll give you 4 of these guys instead.   

This trading business is probably very difficult with 29 other shrewd trading partners. 

 

What is Ryan’s worth? Late August or September Ryan that was terrible? How about López? How healthy is he really? Think people are over estimating what other teams may think.

Trade them all tear it down, tear down the stadium and move the franchise out. 

[Doc Lenz]

34 minutes ago, LyleCole said:

AS I said a long time ago, rebuild is the way to go.  The trade value of Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan are at a maximum because they are coming off healthy seasons and their compensation levels are minimal to the teams that would be looking to acquire them.  I would add Ryan Jeffers to that group too.  

I would trade Lopez only if you get a solid offer.  Otherwise, keep Lopez and Bailey Ober and see if they can produce healthy results to start 2026.   Then move them to a contender.

The management MUST move the young prospects to the forefront.   Jenkins and Rodriguez should be in the opening day lineup.  Culpepper should be too.   I would keep Royce Lewis and hope that he can turn it around because he could still fit into any competitive timeframe.   Keep Brooks Lee as a super utility guy too.

As I have mentioned before, rebuilds take time.  Not every prospect you bring up is going to be a successful major league player no matter what their performance was in the minors.  Not every player will stay healthy.   One of the examples I use from the 1982 Twins Rebuild was the original center fielder they plugged into the lineup was Jim Eisenreich, who went from A ball to starting in centerfield for the Twins.  But Eisenreich unfortunately flamed out even, and it wasn't until 1984 that they brought Pucket up.   If they wait until 1983, or even 1984 to put Eisenreich into the lineup, it probably pushes Kirby back at least for some time.  

Get GROUP A of players up to the major leagues.  Find out who can play and who cannot.  Then bring in players to replace them from the farm.  

Culpepper may be a rule 5 casualty. Keep Terrible Gasper on 40 man don’t protect Culpepper. Smart

[Doc Lenz]

5 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I will happily accept this if the Pohlads leave at the same time.

Pohlads aren’t leaving 

[Mike Sixel]

10 minutes ago, Doc Lenz said:

Culpepper may be a rule 5 casualty. Keep Terrible Gasper on 40 man don’t protect Culpepper. Smart

Wrong Culpepper....

[Doc Lenz]

3 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Wrong Culpepper....

Then maybe people should use first names!

[Doc Lenz]

19 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

Let's put it this way:

Which team would you want to watch on opening day?  The team they ran out there the second half of 2025, or:

Lopez SP, Alvarez (Mets) C, Lewis 3B, Culpepper/Lee SS, Keaschall 2B, Eldridge (Giants) 1B, Roden, Rodriguez, and Jenkins OF, Wallner DH. Fitz, Martin and Clemens utility.

Ober, Mathews, Festa, Abel, SWR, Bradley, Prielipp, Funderburk, Ohl, Klein, Sands, Adams, Morris and Raya rest of staff.

I vote the SECOND option by a MILE.

Jeffers and Buxton go to Mets for Alvarez and whoever else, and Ryan headlines deal to Giants for Eldridge plus.

If you fall out of contention, entertain offers for Lopez at the trade deadline.

Giants aren’t trading Eldridge.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, Doc Lenz said:

Giants aren’t trading Eldridge.

I agree that is very unlikely. 

[Doc Lenz]

47 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Let's not drag dear Uncle Calvin into this morass. Calvin had some of the highest paid teams in baseball but free agency (which was long past due) killed his cow. Calvin always ran on thin margins and supported quite a few family members. He was never a rich man in terms of lifestyle or personal wealth. Many of us live a far richer lifestyle than Calvin ever did. He held his money tight and was not prone to extravagance. All he really wanted to do was watch baseball. From batboy to owner, Calvin was the last pure baseball owner in baseball. Finances and corporations ate him alive. He was given verbal promises of some employment for his relatives, but when the ink dried his kin were shown the door. Verbal contracts were not corporate and neither was Calvin.

Put his statue back up

[SteveLV]

For Joe Ryan at $5.8M, I bet they would and give us extra, too.

Eldridge is blocked on their roster and did not exactly tear up AAA.

But I want a big masher at 1B is Wallner can't play the position (allegedly).

[GNess]

6 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Load it up by trading Buxton, Jeffers, Lopez, Ryan and Ober. Then load it up more by drafting high for the next two seasons.

Sadly this is likely the best option given the players already dealt at the deadline.

[nicksaviking]

6 hours ago, ashbury said:

It's not going to be what you think.  Front offices will gladly trade you volumes of second-tier prospects for your MLB talent, but the very top echelon prospects are simply not for sale, or you have to bowl them over with your offer. If Joe Ryan's our best bargaining chip, he (in a package) may net us one sure-fire young guy, but everything else we obtain in a fire sale will be speculative guys who we might be able to "coach up" to a high level of play but more likely will be average players if they develop at all.

"Loading up" is going to be with Roden- and SWR-level guys.  In a few seasons we'll be back to .500 at best, and then the players will start to be expensive.

Lather, rinse, repeat.   This is the MLB of today for some franchises..

Right, the Twins traded half of their team last July and didn't net a single consensus top 100 prospect.

I'm not sure what a super farm looks like, but the Twins certainly aren't going to be able to trade for one.

 

[DJL44]

23 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Right, the Twins traded half of their team last July and didn't net a single consensus top 100 prospect.

I'm not sure what a super farm looks like, but the Twins certainly aren't going to be able to trade for one.

 

Tait is ranked #57 on the mlb list.

[Mike Sixel]

9 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Tait is ranked #57 on the mlb list.

I'm not the person you replied to, but they did say "consensus", and Tait isn't top 100 on Fangraphs, for example. I love Tait though as a prospect!