Twins Have Interest In First Basemen Ryan O'Hearn, Josh Bell, Rhys Hoskins

[Brock Beauchamp]

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported that the Twins are shopping at the mid-tier level of first basemen, checking in on the likes of Josh Bell, Ryan O'Hearn, and Rhys Hoskins.

Want to know more about Rhys Hoskins? Read our in-depth write-up on him.

O’Hearn is 32, a left-handed first baseman who spent 2024 with Baltimore and split 2025 between Baltimore and San Diego. In 2024, he logged 494 plate appearances with 15 home runs and a .264/.334/.427 line, along with a 9.3 percent walk rate, 14.0 percent strikeout rate, .330 wOBA, and 118 wRC+. In 202,5 he collected 544 plate appearances, hitting 17 home runs with a .281/.366/.437 line, 10.7 percent walks, 20.0 percent strikeouts, a .349 wOBA, and 127 wRC+. He's decent with the glove, posting a +3 Outs Above Average at first base in 2025. 

Bell is 33 and played first base for Miami and Arizona in 2024, then for Washington in 2025. In 2024, he totaled 603 plate appearances across two clubs with 19 home runs and a .249/.319/.405 triple slash; his walk and strikeout rates were 8.5 percent and 19.9 percent, with a .317 wOBA and 101 wRC+. In 2025, with Washington, he made 533 plate appearances, hitting 22 home runs with a .237/.325/.417 line, 10.7 percent walks, 16.5 percent strikeouts, a .324 wOBA, and 107 wRC+. He's a bad defender at first, with a -7 Outs Above Average at first base in 2024 and -3 in 2025. 

Hoskins is 32 and has played first base for Milwaukee in both 2024 and 2025. After missing the 2023 season recovering from injury, he returned in 2024 for 517 plate appearances with 26 home runs and a .214/.303/.419 line; his walk rate was 10.3 percent, strikeout rate 28.8 percent, with a .313 wOBA and 101 wRC+. In 2025, he appeared in 90 games and 328 plate appearances, hitting 12 home runs with a .237/.332/.416 line, 11.6 percent walks, 27.7 percent strikeouts, a .324 wOBA, and 109 wRC+. Like Bell, he is a bad defender at first base, with -4 Outs Above Average in 2024 and +1 in 2025. 

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[nicksaviking]

If they have 20M to spend, as Hayes also reported, they can spend it all on one guy as far as I'm concerned. 

Patching holes with the nickel and dime approach is probably my biggest pet peeve with this club. How they haven't learned by now that a low budget free agent is just as likely to be a bust as the guy they pick up off of the waiver wire or buy for a PTBNL/cash considerations is crazy. It happens all the time. 

[SteveLV]

Big whoop.  So they can apparently go up to about $115M.  I am sure the Dodgers are busy scouting the Twins so they can figure out how to beat us in the World Series./s

This is such a meaningless exercise.  This is not anywhere close to a top, competitive roster.  Why are you adding a "mid tier" player?  So we can win a couple more meaningless games?

Totally disagree with this approach.

Either show you really mean it, extend Jeffers, extend Ryan, lock up Jenkins on a long deal, and spend the money to sign someone "top tier", or stop wasting our time.

Alternatively, trade all the older players, load up on youngsters, play them, and see who excels and who flops and go from there.

Going down the middle just guarantees mediocrity.

[twinstalker]

Why would they pay money for Hoskins?  I just don't understand that.  Sure, give him a million to platoon, not that he hits lefties that well.  If there are financial troubles, stop being stupid with money.

[DocBauer]

I wanted Bell last season, but I'm not so excited about this year. IIRC, he didn't have a very good start to 2025 but then rebounded and finished pretty strong, more in keeping with his normal production. But he's best as a DH. And that's fine by me. The problem comes sometime after June 1st when Rodriguez and/or Jenkins might be ready. Wallner is a perfect, primary DH who's gradually improved some against LHP.

We might be surprised by Hoskins, but I'm betting he's toast after a pair of sub par seasons.

I'd be very happy with O'Hearn as the every day 1B. He fills that spot, as well as a solid bat in the lineup. But I keep seeing speculation that he's going to be signed for around $12M. While that's do-able for the Twins, I don't think it's the smartest play.

I am still pounding the table for Nathaniel Lowe. He's almost exactly 2yrs younger than O'Hearn, is a solid 1B, and is projected to come in at $2-3M less than O'Hearn on a deal.

While O'Hearn has been on an OPS "high" the past couple of seasons, and Lowe's OPS slipped in 2025, for their career quad slash line, Lowe beats O'Hearn in all 4 categories, though the differences are rather negligible. They posses about the same power ability, and Lowe has better career numbers against LHP.

O: .217/ .287/ .355/ .642

L: .258/ .337/ .392/ .729

Yes, Lowe is coming off a down 2025 season...even though he still produced some decent power and RBI numbers...but who would you rather have? A 32yo for $12M...even riding a bit of a "hot streak" the past couple of seasons...or a less expensive 30yo with better career OPS, and a much better career mark against same side pitching?

Maybe I'll be proven wrong but I'd take Lowe at 2yrs and $18-20M every day of the week, and twice on Sunday at this point.

[tony&rodney]

The lack of imagination and creativity within the front office seems extraordinary. Gallo, Margot .....

[old nurse]

I now think that Matbe Goldschmidt would be a good idea,   Sonny Gray rebounded after a horrific stay in NY, as did Bader, as did Pavano. Some people just do not adapt to New York. Maybe Goldschmidt , a Texan, is one of those people. A rebound year 

[Doctor Wu]

Of those three players, the only one that appeals to me is O'Hearn. Bell seems to be more of a DH guy at this point in his career. 

[SaberNerd]

11 hours ago, old nurse said:

I now think that Matbe Goldschmidt would be a good idea,   Sonny Gray rebounded after a horrific stay in NY, as did Bader, as did Pavano. Some people just do not adapt to New York. Maybe Goldschmidt , a Texan, is one of those people. A rebound year 

He's going to be 38, and he wasn't good his last year in STL. I'll pass on someone his age becoming the player he was 3 years ago

[Otaknam]

Yawn! One thing they don’t need is another left handed hitter. Seems like Clemons had as good a season offensively as these guys at first base. And with the infield defense already shaky at third, second and shortstop, signing a butcher to play first doesn’t make sense, even if he hits 20 homers. 

[Bob Twins Fan Since 61]

With Pete Alonso signing with Baltimore yesterday.  They will be shopping two 1B that played for them last year (Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo).  They need to improve their starting pitching.  Both Mountcastle and Mayo are right-handed hitters.  The Twins should be interested in seeing if they can make a deal.  I like either one over the FA first basemen (more upside) that are being discussed.

[Senior Softball Guy]

11 minutes ago, Bob Twins Fan Since 61 said:

With Pete Alonso signing with Baltimore yesterday.  They will be shopping two 1B that played for them last year (Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo).  They need to improve their starting pitching.  Both Mountcastle and Mayo are right-handed hitters.  The Twins should be interested in seeing if they can make a deal.  I like either one over the FA first basemen (more upside) that are being discussed.

I thought the same thing. What do the O's do with an excess of right handed first basemen.

[stringer bell]

All three are better hitters than Clemens. I could see Josh Bell as a DH most of the time and occasionally at first base. I think O'Hearn will end up out of their price range. 

[dxpavelka]

On 12/10/2025 at 8:05 PM, nicksaviking said:

If they have 20M to spend, as Hayes also reported, they can spend it all on one guy as far as I'm concerned. 

Patching holes with the nickel and dime approach is probably my biggest pet peeve with this club. How they haven't learned by now that a low budget free agent is just as likely to be a bust as the guy they pick up off of the waiver wire or buy for a PTBNL/cash considerations is crazy. It happens all the time. 

Twins fans can claim that they'd prefer we spend it all on one player but even when they do that fans aren't happy.  Fans LOVED when we loaded up on Carlos Correa, Josh Donaldson and even Joe Mauer.  Didn't like it near as much when they learned what even the big spenders learn:  That when you sign a guy to a big money long term contract the results as that contract goes on generally tend to NOT be worth the investment.

[tony&rodney]

6 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

Twins fans can claim that they'd prefer we spend it all on one player but even when they do that fans aren't happy.  Fans LOVED when we loaded up on Carlos Correa, Josh Donaldson and even Joe Mauer.  Didn't like it near as much when they learned what even the big spenders learn:  That when you sign a guy to a big money long term contract the results as that contract goes on generally tend to NOT be worth the investment.

This is true to an extent. Many Twins fans and some within the organization struggle with those large contracts. At one time the huge numbers were 10-20 times the minimum salary, but now the factors are much larger. Signing those large contracts is a gamble.

I never object to a few large contracts. I recognize the limits of a Minnesota roster budget. Correa, Donaldson, and Mauer were all reasonable gambles. Something that gets lost is that these players take on a responsibility to show how a professional baseball player goes about their days. There are always going to be differences in appreciation of the guys who make the big bucks. A more visible impact is that a team has a player to count on day to day. Again, injuries and poor performances raise questions among the public but the example in the dugout carries value. 

Pablo Lopez is the clear leader of the pitching staff. Correa was a key leader of the position players and Buxton will take that position. A team can benefit from more than one big name. It reduces the pressure. Ryan and Ober are those guys who can help Lopez for the pitchers. The position side could benefit from adding a player like Bo Bichette. 

To each their own. My thought is that there is room in a $115M 26 person roster budget for two major gambles on the position side. Maybe Correa was too large of a contract or too volatile for the Twins. Can't say on that. To me a gamble on Bichette (I thought Naylor was worth $25M-he gone) would pay off. Some shifting of players would be needed to stay beneath $115M, but it can be done.

The Twins plans are not discernable, at all, to me. That doesn't make any difference but I sure hope to see much better baseball in 2026 from the Minnesota Twins. I think the product will be better even if the record might be the same. I can live with that much easier than a repeat of the 2025 product with a few more wins.

[Hubie29]

On 12/10/2025 at 8:48 PM, DocBauer said:

Maybe I'll be proven wrong but I'd take Lowe at 2yrs and $18-20M every day of the week, and twice on Sunday at this point.

Weren't those scheduled Sunday DH's the greatest back in the day?

[Chembry]

On 12/10/2025 at 8:48 PM, DocBauer said:

I wanted Bell last season, but I'm not so excited about this year. IIRC, he didn't have a very good start to 2025 but then rebounded and finished pretty strong, more in keeping with his normal production. But he's best as a DH. And that's fine by me. The problem comes sometime after June 1st when Rodriguez and/or Jenkins might be ready. Wallner is a perfect, primary DH who's gradually improved some against LHP.

We might be surprised by Hoskins, but I'm betting he's toast after a pair of sub par seasons.

I'd be very happy with O'Hearn as the every day 1B. He fills that spot, as well as a solid bat in the lineup. But I keep seeing speculation that he's going to be signed for around $12M. While that's do-able for the Twins, I don't think it's the smartest play.

I am still pounding the table for Nathaniel Lowe. He's almost exactly 2yrs younger than O'Hearn, is a solid 1B, and is projected to come in at $2-3M less than O'Hearn on a deal.

While O'Hearn has been on an OPS "high" the past couple of seasons, and Lowe's OPS slipped in 2025, for their career quad slash line, Lowe beats O'Hearn in all 4 categories, though the differences are rather negligible. They posses about the same power ability, and Lowe has better career numbers against LHP.

O: .217/ .287/ .355/ .642

L: .258/ .337/ .392/ .729

Yes, Lowe is coming off a down 2025 season...even though he still produced some decent power and RBI numbers...but who would you rather have? A 32yo for $12M...even riding a bit of a "hot streak" the past couple of seasons...or a less expensive 30yo with better career OPS, and a much better career mark against same side pitching?

Maybe I'll be proven wrong but I'd take Lowe at 2yrs and $18-20M every day of the week, and twice on Sunday at this point.

I asked a question on the MLBTR chat today what it would take to sign Lowe.  Anthony Franco responded that a 1/$5-6M would get it done.   I would rather sign a longer deal, because I don't want the continuously revolving door, but a $5-6M AAV seems like good value.

[tony&rodney]

Move Luke Keaschall to first base and sign Bo Bichette to play second base, problem solved. 

[DocBauer]

3 hours ago, Chembry said:

I asked a question on the MLBTR chat today what it would take to sign Lowe.  Anthony Franco responded that a 1/$5-6M would get it done.   I would rather sign a longer deal, because I don't want the continuously revolving door, but a $5-6M AAV seems like good value.

If the Twins could actually get for 2yrs and $12M IMO. That price should still leave room for a couple solid pen arms as well. 

If that cost is accurate, and Falvey says they have $ to add, they should JUMP on him, IMO, for a couple of years and stop the revolving door at 1B for the immediate future. 

For once, make the smart, early signing and then sit back on the pen arms and wait out the market if that's what they choose to do again.

 

[Greglw3]

Ryan O’Hearn would be by far the best and anything but mid tier. High OBA, high batting average, maybe tied for 2nd on 2025 Twins) and decent power, a great mix. Sign O’Hearn, who can also play OF.

[dxpavelka]

16 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

This is true to an extent. Many Twins fans and some within the organization struggle with those large contracts. At one time the huge numbers were 10-20 times the minimum salary, but now the factors are much larger. Signing those large contracts is a gamble.

I never object to a few large contracts. I recognize the limits of a Minnesota roster budget. Correa, Donaldson, and Mauer were all reasonable gambles. Something that gets lost is that these players take on a responsibility to show how a professional baseball player goes about their days. There are always going to be differences in appreciation of the guys who make the big bucks. A more visible impact is that a team has a player to count on day to day. Again, injuries and poor performances raise questions among the public but the example in the dugout carries value. 

Pablo Lopez is the clear leader of the pitching staff. Correa was a key leader of the position players and Buxton will take that position. A team can benefit from more than one big name. It reduces the pressure. Ryan and Ober are those guys who can help Lopez for the pitchers. The position side could benefit from adding a player like Bo Bichette. 

To each their own. My thought is that there is room in a $115M 26 person roster budget for two major gambles on the position side. Maybe Correa was too large of a contract or too volatile for the Twins. Can't say on that. To me a gamble on Bichette (I thought Naylor was worth $25M-he gone) would pay off. Some shifting of players would be needed to stay beneath $115M, but it can be done.

The Twins plans are not discernable, at all, to me. That doesn't make any difference but I sure hope to see much better baseball in 2026 from the Minnesota Twins. I think the product will be better even if the record might be the same. I can live with that much easier than a repeat of the 2025 product with a few more wins.

I agree that the Twins plans are not discernable.  Not that they have any obligation for them to be so.  Fans seem convinced that for some reason they have a right to know such things.  They don't.  But we live in an age when they think they do.  Neither here nor there I guess.  I'm fine with acquiring a big name guy.  I would have been fine with keeping Correa.  Bichette would work for me.  I've been advocating for Alonzo in these spaces since last Winter.  But for the most part, guys on big long term contracts seldom earn that money over the last half of the contract.  If you spend that money on retaining your own players, that is kind of offset somewhat by the fact that prior to free agency said player often far outperforms his contract.  I'm not all that concerned about what happened at the deadline either.  I understand why they dumped Correa.  Would have been nice to have kept Duran and maybe Varland but in all honesty, the return for those two should become mainstays before the end of the decade (not that far away).  Jax had to go or would have become a cancer.  Everyone else that went would, in an ideal world (possible exception of Bader) would have been gone by March anyway.   The future is NOT nearly as bleak as most think.  Play Ball.

[tony&rodney]

6 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

I agree that the Twins plans are not discernable.  Not that they have any obligation for them to be so.  Fans seem convinced that for some reason they have a right to know such things.  They don't.  But we live in an age when they think they do.  Neither here nor there I guess.  I'm fine with acquiring a big name guy.  I would have been fine with keeping Correa.  Bichette would work for me.  I've been advocating for Alonzo in these spaces since last Winter.  But for the most part, guys on big long term contracts seldom earn that money over the last half of the contract.  If you spend that money on retaining your own players, that is kind of offset somewhat by the fact that prior to free agency said player often far outperforms his contract.  I'm not all that concerned about what happened at the deadline either.  I understand why they dumped Correa.  Would have been nice to have kept Duran and maybe Varland but in all honesty, the return for those two should become mainstays before the end of the decade (not that far away).  Jax had to go or would have become a cancer.  Everyone else that went would, in an ideal world (possible exception of Bader) would have been gone by March anyway.   The future is NOT nearly as bleak as most think.  Play Ball.

Agree with your basic position. There are a couple of brief thoughts that come to mind.

The baseball business benefits from a strong positive public relationship with their audience. This is complicated and we could discuss it endlessly. 

Few businesses succeed without experienced people leading the way. These folks don't need to be the most talented but have knowledge to pass on to those new or in need of experience. That is how i see the need for Correa, etc.

There really can't be a way to determine how trades will work out in baseball until a couple of years have passed. It's possible that Duran, Varland, and Jax are all out of baseball soon or they pitch another half dozen plus years. In the same manner, guys like Abel, Tait, Rojas, and Roden could be mainstays on a team or struggling to get any time on a MLB roster or out of baseball altogether. The future will give us an answer. The current conversations would be whether these were the guys to target to lead the team in a few years. I hope they do.

Last, the future of the Twins is not much of a concern to me because it is out of my control. I want them to do well and see possibilities for that to occur. That is where Twins Daily comes in. My preference is for watching well-played baseball games. Physical mistakes happen and a few mental blunders are inevitable as well. My own personal problem with this current era of Twins baseball is tied to the excessive number of careless plays which is a philosophy of a playing style. 

I'm a hopeless optimist but also a victim of my own life, one that necessarily required critical thinking. Thus I support the team since 1961 and still yearn for excellence. 

[stringer bell]

17 hours ago, Chembry said:

I asked a question on the MLBTR chat today what it would take to sign Lowe.  Anthony Franco responded that a 1/$5-6M would get it done.   I would rather sign a longer deal, because I don't want the continuously revolving door, but a $5-6M AAV seems like good value.

Unless there is something someone knows about Lowe that caused him to tail off noticeably in 2025, I would think that he would get a lot more than $6M even for a one-year deal. He also won a Gold Glove. Buy now on that.

The Twins top projected hitters are Buxton, Lewis, Jeffers and Keaschall, all RH hitters. Having a fifth guy who plays every day and hits lefty actually gives some balance.

[TopGunn#22]

I'm not interested in any of the 3 mentioned in the article.  Two of them (Bell and Hoskins) are practically unplayable at 1B and would probably be below average DH's.  Colby Mayo is intriguing.  He's 24 years old and 6:4 230 pounds.  A big, strong RH power hitting 1B (in theory).

But the price point for a player with Nate Lowe's track record (and glove) is just a better move.  The Orioles are desperate for SP and for the life of me, I can't understand the need to trade a promising, young SP like Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward.  

If I was to trade with the Orioles, after I signed Nathanial Lowe to play 1B, the player I covet is Jordan Westburg.  He's young and talented, can play 2B or 3B, hits and hits with power.  His hitting and defensive flexibility allows the Twins to consider Keaschall in LF to begin the year. 

A trade of Joe Ryan 52.5 and Mickey Gaspar 7.9 and Henry Mendez 8.6  (Total: 69.0) for Westburg 50.2  Catcher Caden Bodine 9.3, and CF prospect Enrique Bradfield 9.3 (Total: 68.8) could work.  Ryan is 30 years old and would bring a premium.  Westburg is just 26 years old, Bradfield 24, and Bodine is just 22 and was Baltimore's #1 pick (#30 1C) out of Coastal Carolina.  He's an excellent Catcher with a below average throwing arm but an exceptionally quick release who, as a switch hitter, has elite contact skills but needs to add more power.  His MLB ETA is 2028. 

Westburg is cost controlled for several years and would fit in with the core the Twins should want to build going forward.  With all the young pitching we have, this is the type of trade for an All Star caliber pitcher like Ryan the Twins should consider. 

By the way, in reviewing some of the trades on BBTV I saw that Taj Bradley is now valued at 43.1.  Considering Griffin Jax was valued at 24 or 25 at the trade deadline, despite my disappointment in seeing Jax traded, I have to salute Falvey/Zoll and company on that trade.  That's significantly more value coming back, beyond just the SP valued more than a RP.   

 

[tony&rodney]

3 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

If I was to trade with the Orioles, after I signed Nathanial Lowe to play 1B, the player I covet is Jordan Westburg.  He's young and talented, can play 2B or 3B, hits and hits with power.  His hitting and defensive flexibility allows the Twins to consider Keaschall in LF to begin the year. 

A trade of Joe Ryan 52.5 and Mickey Gaspar 7.9 and Henry Mendez 8.6  (Total: 69.0) for Westburg 50.2  Catcher Caden Bodine 9.3, and CF prospect Enrique Bradfield 9.3 (Total: 68.8) could work.  Ryan is 30 years old and would bring a premium.  Westburg is just 26 years old, Bradfield 24, and Bodine is just 22 and was Baltimore's #1 pick (#30 1C) out of Coastal Carolina.  He's an excellent Catcher with a below average throwing arm but an exceptionally quick release who, as a switch hitter, has elite contact skills but needs to add more power.  His MLB ETA is 2028. 

You may be overrating Jordan Westburg and underrating Joe Ryan somewhat. Westburg has some promise as a hitter but has yet to show himself adequately and he is not very good in the field. He is 27 before next season starts. Ryan is one of the top 20 starting pitchers in baseball. I can see the Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, Tigers, and a few others as trading partners for Ryan but not Baltimore. I do like to read your ideas.

Joe Ryan should remain a Twin unless he is part of a deal that returns a top player or prospect. When last season ended I was immediately curious whether a Ryan, Roden, Soto trade for Tyler Soderstrom could be possible. Soderstrom was really good at first base after being shifted away from catching. He then moved to left field for Nick Kurtz, where Tyler was surprisingly effective in the field. The A's are trying to sign all of their young players to long term contracts. Butler and Rooker are taken care of and they are in talks with Shea  Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Tyler Soderstrom now. Leodalis De Vries might be impossible to pry away but it is worth a try. I'm offering a pile: Ryan, Marek Houston, and Kendry Rojas. Shoot for the moon.

[Chembry]

13 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Unless there is something someone knows about Lowe that caused him to tail off noticeably in 2025, I would think that he would get a lot more than $6M even for a one-year deal. He also won a Gold Glove. Buy now on that.

The Twins top projected hitters are Buxton, Lewis, Jeffers and Keaschall, all RH hitters. Having a fifth guy who plays every day and hits lefty actually gives some balance.

He won a silver slugger as well.  We don’t know what was going on behind the scenes in Washington, but Lowe was right back to Texas level production in Boston.  Lowe makes a ton of sense, both financially and performance, assuming he plays similar to his Texas and Boston level of production.  If the Twins can get Lowe for a $5-6M AAV contract, that leaves room to sign several relievers.
 

Here is a picture of the question I asked and Franco’s response.  

[dxpavelka]

16 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Agree with your basic position. There are a couple of brief thoughts that come to mind.

The baseball business benefits from a strong positive public relationship with their audience. This is complicated and we could discuss it endlessly. 

Few businesses succeed without experienced people leading the way. These folks don't need to be the most talented but have knowledge to pass on to those new or in need of experience. That is how i see the need for Correa, etc.

There really can't be a way to determine how trades will work out in baseball until a couple of years have passed. It's possible that Duran, Varland, and Jax are all out of baseball soon or they pitch another half dozen plus years. In the same manner, guys like Abel, Tait, Rojas, and Roden could be mainstays on a team or struggling to get any time on a MLB roster or out of baseball altogether. The future will give us an answer. The current conversations would be whether these were the guys to target to lead the team in a few years. I hope they do.

Last, the future of the Twins is not much of a concern to me because it is out of my control. I want them to do well and see possibilities for that to occur. That is where Twins Daily comes in. My preference is for watching well-played baseball games. Physical mistakes happen and a few mental blunders are inevitable as well. My own personal problem with this current era of Twins baseball is tied to the excessive number of careless plays which is a philosophy of a playing style. 

I'm a hopeless optimist but also a victim of my own life, one that necessarily required critical thinking. Thus I support the team since 1961 and still yearn for excellence. 

That's a lot of words and not one of them critical of ownership and  / or the front office.  Are you sure you're in the right spot?