To Address a Shaky Offense, the Twins Have Brought In Some of the Worst Hitters in MLB

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Last season, the Minnesota Twins ranked 23rd out of 30 MLB teams in runs scored and 18th in OPS. The offense was once again a major letdown, and an area where significant improvement will be needed in order to turn around this wayward franchise.

To that end, the Twins made some key changes to their coaching staff, which were at least partially aimed at revamping the team's hitter development at the big-league level: they dismissed their hitting coach for a second straight year, replacing Matt Borgschulte with Derek Beauregard, and they hired a new manager in Derek Shelton with a deep background in hitting instruction.

These changes are all well and good, but it's the players on the field who will determine whether the lineup can finally find some life and score enough to be competitive. On that front, their offseason additions have been ... quite uninspiring.

To their credit, the Twins did make a move to add some legitimate veteran offensive firepower in the form of Josh Bell, who signed a $7 million deal last month. He's got a track record. That's a good start. But since the offseason started, the Twins have added four other position players — via trades, waiver claims and minor-league signings — and to say they've been unproductive at the plate would be an understatement.

Admittedly, there are some selective endpoints and thresholds being used below, but I don't think any of them are unfair. I'm trying to provide context about how these hitters have performed compared to their major-league peers over recent timeframes. It's not pretty.

• Eric Wagaman: Ranked 132nd out of 146 qualified hitters in OPS in 2025
• Orlando Arcia: Second-worst OPS among MLB hitters with 700+ PA since 2024
• Ryan Kreidler: Ranks dead last in OPS among MLB hitters with 200+ PA since 2022
• Alex Jackson: Ranks 588th in OPS out of 592 MLB hitters with 400+ PA since 2021

Yeah, you can make some points in favor of each of these guys. Jackson and Kreidler are a backup catcher and utility infielder respectively, so the bar for hitting is low. Wagaman has shown some promise in the minors and against left-handed pitching. Arcia was an okay hitter prior to the last two years.

But these numbers speak for themselves. Desperate to upgrade their offense, the Twins have been taking flyers on players who were given up on by previous organizations largely because of their bats. And this comes on the heels of a trade deadline that saw Minnesota bring in two MLB-ready hitters: Alan Roden (ranked 376th in OPS out of 393 players with 150+ PA last year) and James Outman (ranks 409th out of 417 players with 300+ PA since 2024). 

On top of that, you've got two key returning players in Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee who are also looking to bounce back from bottom-tier hitting performances in 2025. Among 215 players to make 400+ plate appearances last year, Lewis ranked 180th in OPS and Lee ranked 194th.

Again, there are reasons to believe some of these guys can be better than they've been, especially those like Roden and Lee who are relatively young and have crushed in the minors. But when you take a step back and look at the totality of talent the Twins have brought in to try and rejuvenate a lagging offense, it's bleak. 

These haven't just been bad hitters, they've been atrocious, and there's a good chance they are going to be populating a majority of the Twins' roster in 2026. Beauregard is getting dealt a hell of a hand in his first go as primary hitting coach.

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[EGFTShaw]

And the Twins have been OH SOOOOO GOOD at fixing hitters...

But are these hitters the Top Bargains? Perhaps with airline miles, or bonus check for your local Subway card.

[rdehring]

Didn't get past reading your headline Nick before bringing a good smile to my face.  Thanks.

As for what the Twins will do in 2026, none of these guys are all that relevant.  Success, or lack thereof, will be based on how Lewis, Wallner, Lee, Keaschall, Martin and whichever young corner outfielder is on the team swing their bats.  Well, that and how whomever is in the bullpen pitch.

[Eris]

I don’t understand the appeal the Twins have for seriously underperforming veterans who have been passed over by multiple teams. I would much rather watch their prospects play. At least the youth provide hope for the future. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I disagree with your headline: I do not think it was ever the Twins' intention to address the shaky offense by these 4 acquisitions. If true, the question is: Why would the Twins intentionally bring in these 4 position players who have such terrible histories of hitting? Sure they were cheap, but wouldn't keeping Fitzgerald, keeping Susac, moving an existing player to 1B (such as Wallner or Larnauch or just using Clemons), and promoting Erod, have been a better use of the Twins roster spots? I think the FO signed these 4 weak hitters just so the FO could say that it is "doing something" and not standing pat. Or the Twins merely sought to improve the infield defense as cheaply as possible, at the expense of the offense. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. 

[farmerguychris]

But they were cheap Nick - come on - remember the Pohlad's priorities!

[Nick Nelson]

7 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I disagree with your headline: I do not think it was ever the Twins' intention to address the shaky offense by these 4 acquisitions. If true, the question is: Why would the Twins intentionally bring in these 4 position players who have such terrible histories of hitting?

The headline was a little tongue-in-cheek, but the reality is that they needed some upgrades on offense, and 80% of the position players they've added so far have been abjectly awful hitters. I don't really expect them to add much more on the hitting side. Puts a ton of pressure on unlikely rebounds + the few proven stars to stay healthy and productive.

[Nick Nelson]

32 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Didn't get past reading your headline Nick before bringing a good smile to my face.  Thanks.

As for what the Twins will do in 2026, none of these guys are all that relevant.  Success, or lack thereof, will be based on how Lewis, Wallner, Lee, Keaschall, Martin and whichever young corner outfielder is on the team swing their bats.  Well, that and how whomever is in the bullpen pitch.

What makes me nervous is that at least 2-3 of those guys (and Buxton) have pretty lengthy injury histories. If multiple guys from that group go down, you're looking at a sizable amount of playing time for the likes of Arcia and Kreidler and Outman.

[Woof Bronzer]

As I've said before, Falvey, who has been credited with modernizing the sabermetrics operation to facilitate data driven decisions, is on his 3rd consecutive offseason of just throwing all data out the window and hoping that the player wildly outperforms his numbers.  In other words:  delusion.   That's the Twins grand strategy after 2 disastrous seasons:  sign some of the worst hitters in baseball (in Jackson's case, one of the worst hitters in MLB history) and hope they magically become good hitters.  

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Yuck.  Hopefully there is some bounce in one or more of these guys this year.  We should at least get some sense of that during spring training.  My hope is that all of these guys are on a short leash and not guys that we are going to trot out there every day regardless of what they are doing.  For all of the weeping and gnashing of teeth over Manny Margot (and I definitely wept and gnashed), he had both a better track record AND hit better than these guys did last year.  Yikes!  It feels like a hold my beer moment for the front office!

[Mike Sixel]

you gave them way too much credit for signing Bell, IMO.

---

 

[nicksaviking]

This has become a trend with this organization since they slashed payroll. They seem to think they can take other teams' aging and poor hitting AAAA-type players and fix them. Yet this team has trouble getting the guys they already know to hit consistently, so I don't understand why they think they can change players they don't know.

Seriously, what was the point of DFA'ing Ryan Fitzgerald and singing Orlando Arcia? It feels like this front office is really struggling with the grass is greener on the other side syndrome. Which is crazy because the grass they seem to envy is clearly not green.

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

This has become a trend with this organization since they slashed payroll. They seem to think they can take other teams' aging and poor hitting AAAA-type players and fix them. Yet this team has trouble getting the guys they already know to hit consistently, so I don't understand why they think they can change players they don't know.

Seriously, what was the point of DFA'ing Ryan Fitzgerald and singing Orlando Arcia? It really feels like this front office is really struggling with the grass is greener on the other side syndrome. Which is crazy because the grass they seem to envy is clearly not green.

Fitzgerald outhit every single guy they've brought in so far last year (in a tiny sample).....

[sweetmusicviola16]

Yuck. And why not tell the whole story on Josh Bell? Sure, he's an upgrade offensively over what we had. How hard was that to achieve? But for being a DH/1B he is hardly average, if that. These are positions where you look for far more offense than Josh Bell. And this is our big move. And lets not even discuss his defense. Yuck.

The continuing horrible roster construction amazes me. 

[nicksaviking]

21 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Fitzgerald outhit every single guy they've brought in so far last year (in a tiny sample).....

Yeah, I was more than fine removing him from the roster.

Just not for players that were just as bad or worse than him.

[Nashvilletwin]

37 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

you gave them way too much credit for signing Bell, IMO.

---

 

Completely agree.  Bell is nothing special and may actually be worse than that.  The $7MM would’ve been better spent on relievers who could protect any lead we might have once Ryan and Lopez are taken out.

[DJL44]

Only Kreidler offers more on defense than what they already had on the roster.

[Woof Bronzer]

6 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Only Kreidler offers more on defense than what they already had on the roster.

This is not getting talked about enough.  If you are going to sign terrible AAAA hitters at least sign terrible AAAA hitters who have defensive value.  Instead Falvey seems insistent on making the 2026 Twins even worse defensively than in 2025.  

[RpR]

16 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Only Kreidler offers more on defense than what they already had on the roster.

Jackson is not a worse catcher than Jeffers, now his bat....

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, Woof Bronzer said:

As I've said before, Falvey, who has been credited with modernizing the sabermetrics operation to facilitate data driven decisions, is on his 3rd consecutive offseason of just throwing all data out the window and hoping that the player wildly outperforms his numbers.  In other words:  delusion.   That's the Twins grand strategy after 2 disastrous seasons:  sign some of the worst hitters in baseball (in Jackson's case, one of the worst hitters in MLB history) and hope they magically become good hitters.  

They are betting that multiple 85-1 longshots win.  It's a bad bad bet.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

This has become a trend with this organization since they slashed payroll. They seem to think they can take other teams' aging and poor hitting AAAA-type players and fix them. Yet this team has trouble getting the guys they already know to hit consistently, so I don't understand why they think they can change players they don't know.

Seriously, what was the point of DFA'ing Ryan Fitzgerald and singing Orlando Arcia? It really feels like this front office is really struggling with the grass is greener on the other side syndrome. Which is crazy because the grass they seem to envy is clearly not green.

It's not even grass.  It's green painted dirt and stubble like  the Metropolitan Stadium field for a Dec Vike home game.

[USAFChief]

To Address A Shaky Offense, The Twins Have Brought In Some Of The Worst Hitters In MLB

 

 

[MeanMike]

They've actually had some luck doing this in the past with players like Michael A Taylor and Harrison Bader. Of course there have been plenty of Joey Gallo and Andrelton Simmons flops too.

If one of these outperforms previous years they will trade him away for more prospects at the trade deadline like they did with Bader.

[Riverbrian]

3 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

What makes me nervous is that at least 2-3 of those guys (and Buxton) have pretty lengthy injury histories. If multiple guys from that group go down, you're looking at a sizable amount of playing time for the likes of Arcia and Kreidler and Outman.

These signings don't mean a thing unless... 

Unless or until they become the best or only option and there is a high probability that they easily become the best or only option. 

They can sign all the Arcia's they want to minor league contracts for all that I care. When Arcia is leading the team in AB's in the month of May. I'll care and it isn't hard to see a scenario where that is the case. It's not the individual players that I object to... it's the need for these players that is the source of my strong objections.   

Injuries occur... they occur a lot. When they occur and they will. We can all take note of the number of AB's they get. If they perform in those AB's... we can all pat the front office on the back, say way to go and marvel at their craftiness.  

Your article is spot on and it gets to the heart of the problem. 

Taking your thought one step further.  

The 4 players you list in your article. They are probably it for the off-season. 

So... As we stand today. Joe Ryan is not being traded in order to compete in 2026. Arcia, Wagaman, Kreidler and Jackson are the acquired support brought in to support not trading Joe Ryan so they can compete in 2026.   

We need Joe Ryan to compete and we offer Arcia, Wagaman, Kriedler and Jackson to augment/justify that need for Joe Ryan in order to compete.

Impossible path to navigate forward with Joe Ryan pulling them toward victory while Arcia, Wagaman, Kriedler and Jackson are pulling that Ryan momentum backwards.   

Who exactly is the architect of this half measure off-season plan? Falvey? Zoll? Pohlad? 

All 3?  

[Woof Bronzer]

15 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

 Who exactly is the architect of this half measure off-season plan? Falvey? Zoll? Pohlad? 

All 3?  

Probably the same architect who designed the 2025 half-measure off-season plan and the 2024 half-measure off-season plan.  

[Blyleven2011]

2 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I disagree with your headline: I do not think it was ever the Twins' intention to address the shaky offense by these 4 acquisitions. If true, the question is: Why would the Twins intentionally bring in these 4 position players who have such terrible histories of hitting? Sure they were cheap, but wouldn't keeping Fitzgerald, keeping Susac, moving an existing player to 1B (such as Wallner or Larnauch or just using Clemons), and promoting Erod, have been a better use of the Twins roster spots? I think the FO signed these 4 weak hitters just so the FO could say that it is "doing something" and not standing pat. Or the Twins merely sought to improve the infield defense as cheaply as possible, at the expense of the offense. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. 

I'd stick to that story also but I would include with these 4 acquisitions that need help ,  Beauregard should just resign now instead of getting fired , it's a no win situation for Beauregard and the organization to bring in players that are worse than our DFA'd players      . . .

[KirbyDome89]

58 minutes ago, MeanMike said:

They've actually had some luck doing this in the past with players like Michael A Taylor and Harrison Bader. Of course there have been plenty of Joey Gallo and Andrelton Simmons flops too.

If one of these outperforms previous years they will trade him away for more prospects at the trade deadline like they did with Bader.

Twins fans massively overrate Taylor. 

[KirbyDome89]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

you gave them way too much credit for signing Bell, IMO.

---

 

Locking in what you hope is a league average bat at DH isn't adding firepower and it definitely exacerbates the defensive shortcomings that already existed on the roster. 

[GNess]

The Twins largely because they prioritize frugality, take what they can get. This amounts to placing value on veterans who have underperformed ( read as inexpensive) hoping against hope they will somehow contribute more than younger more talented players because of their experience. (So they don't typically rush players to the majors.)

This is a strategy to be sure, just not a very good one which is rather disappointing. (But the FO may see it as their only real path.)

 

[SteveLV]

If you think about it, I don't this this FO could have found 4 WORSE hitters to bring in.  I am pretty confident the handful of players who are worse that these 4 are no longer playing MLB.

Incredibly disappointing acquisitions.

But hardly unexpected.