4 Twins Prospects Who Should Be Untouchable at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

The Minnesota Twins have hovered around the final American League Wild Card spot, leaving Jeremy Zoll and the front office with a difficult decision as the MLB trade deadline approaches. A strong stretch could justify adding reinforcements for a postseason push, while a cold streak could force a more conservative approach.

If the Twins do decide to buy, they'll undoubtedly lean on one of baseball's deepest farm systems to acquire immediate help. That's the advantage of last year's trade deadline selloff and another strong draft class. Minnesota has the prospect capital to make meaningful additions. However, not every prospect should be on the table.

Championship organizations know the difference between using prospect depth to improve the present and sacrificing the players who are expected to define the future. Minnesota has several prospects who should be considered off-limits, regardless of who becomes available—at least to support this team, in a year when any playoff baseball would mean they exceeded expectations.

OF Walker Jenkins: The Future Cornerstone
2026 Stats (43 G): .304/.401/.509, .407 wOBA, 134 wRC+

Jenkins remains the organization's premier prospect and arguably the future face of the franchise. The former fifth overall pick has done nothing to diminish expectations, despite dealing with injuries early in his professional career. When healthy, Jenkins has shown the combination of advanced plate discipline, plus bat speed, and all-around offensive ability that made him one of the most coveted prep hitters in recent draft history.

The Twins have spent years searching for a homegrown superstar capable of anchoring their lineup for the next decade. Jenkins has that ceiling. There’s also a strong chance that he makes his debut in 2026 and can help the club with their playoff push. 

Why He’s Untouchable: Trading him for a veteran, even an established All-Star, would create a massive hole in the organization's long-term outlook. Players with legitimate franchise-player potential simply aren't moved unless the return is a young superstar with years of control, and those opportunities almost never materialize.

SS Kaelen Culpepper: An Answer for the Infield
2026 Stats (63 G): .272/.376/.492, .385 wOBA, 122 wRC+

Few prospects have strengthened their long-term outlook as much as Culpepper since the team drafted him. His offensive development has continued, while he's also proved he can remain at shortstop, giving the Twins a potential impact player at one of baseball's premium positions.

Why He’s Untouchable: Minnesota has used Brooks Lee, Ryan Kreidler, and Tristan Gray as stop-gap options, but Culpepper gives Minnesota a legitimate long-term shortstop plan. Even if he can’t stick at short, Culpepper's athleticism gives him the flexibility to contribute elsewhere in the infield. Premium middle infielders are difficult to acquire. The Twins already have one developing internally.

SS Marek Houston: Elite Defensive Value Matters
2026 Stats (74 G): .316/.396/.455, .390 wOBA, 121 wRC+

Houston may not receive the same national attention as some of Minnesota's other top prospects, but his value inside the organization continues to grow. His elite defensive abilities at shortstop provide an incredibly high floor, while continued offensive improvements have increased confidence that he can become an everyday major-league player.

Why He’s Untouchable: Organizations that consistently contend build around premium defenders up the middle. Houston fits that mold perfectly. Moving him for short-term help could leave the Twins searching for exactly this type of player a few years from now.

RHP Riley Quick: The Rotation Needs More Arms
2026 Stats (14 G): 49 1/3 IP, 3.47 ERA, 3.45 xFIP, 36.1 K%, 12.7 BB%, .182 BA

High-quality starting pitching remains one of baseball's most expensive commodities. That's exactly why Quick shouldn't be available. He possesses the type of power arsenal that gives him legitimate mid-rotation (or better) potential. He's moved quickly since being drafted, as he was recently promoted to Double-A. There's a legitimate chance for him to make his MLB debut in 2027. 

Why He’s Untouchable: With Joe Ryan approaching free agency in the coming years and starting pitching always carrying injury risk, the Twins need to continue developing internal rotation options. Pitching depth disappears quickly. Keeping Quick ensures Minnesota continues building one of the organization's greatest strengths.

Other Twins Top-10 Prospects Could Be Available

Being available doesn't mean the Twins should actively shop these prospects. It simply means the right opportunity could justify moving them. Here are some of the other Twins Daily Top-10 prospects who could be part of a trade deadline package. 

OF Emmanuel Rodriguez: Rodriguez still possesses some of the highest offensive upside in the organization, but injuries have repeatedly interrupted his development. His talent could headline a significant trade package, particularly for a club willing to bet on his long-term health. The Twins have enough outfield depth that they could survive moving him if it meant acquiring an impactful major-league player.

C Eduardo Tait: Catching prospects with offensive upside carry tremendous value throughout baseball. Tait's emergence has elevated his trade stock considerably, making him one of Minnesota's most attractive trade chips. At the same time, catching prospects also carry volatility because of the lengthy developmental timeline. The Twins also used their first two picks in last week's MLB Draft on college catchers Vahn Lackey and Carson Tinney. If another club values Tait as a future star, the Twins could capitalize, while addressing an immediate need.

LHP Kendry Rojas: Left-handed starting pitching is always desirable, and Rojas has continued to improve since joining the organization. He's bounced between Triple-A and the majors, so rebuilding clubs could view him as an appealing centerpiece in negotiations. Minnesota also has increasing pitching depth throughout the system. That combination makes him valuable enough to acquire significant talent while not being completely irreplaceable.

OF Gabriel Gonzalez: Gonzalez has consistently shown impressive bat-to-ball skills and offensive production throughout the minors. However, the Twins now possess considerable outfield depth throughout the organization, making Gonzalez one of the more logical prospects to include in trade discussions. His value may actually exceed his long-term fit in Minnesota.

LHP Dasan Hill: Hill arguably owns one of the highest ceilings among Minnesota's pitching prospects, but he also remains further away from the major leagues than several others on this list. That distance creates opportunity. Contending teams often prefer keeping prospects who can contribute sooner while using younger, high-upside players to complete blockbuster deals. Hill fits that description perfectly. His inclusion would undoubtedly be difficult, but not impossible, if the return significantly improved Minnesota's chances over the next several seasons.

The Twins have reached an enviable position. A year ago, the organization replenished one of baseball's strongest farm systems through aggressive trades and another successful draft. That depth now gives the front office flexibility heading into the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

If Minnesota decides to buy, the organization shouldn't hesitate to leverage prospects from the second tier of its system to improve the major league roster. That's exactly why farm systems exist. At the same time, every successful organization identifies the players who represent its future and refuses to compromise on them.

For the Twins, that list starts with Jenkins, Culpepper, Houston, and Quick. They aren't just highly ranked prospects. They're the foundation of what Minnesota hopes will become its next championship-caliber core.

---

Who would you consider untouchable in the Twins organization? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

View full article

[dxpavelka]

Half of this article coud be summed up with the following half a sentence:  "Why He’s Untouchable: Minnesota has used Brooks Lee, Ryan Kreidler, and Tristan Gray as stop-gap options."  This covers both Culpepper AND Houston.  

Part of another sentence at the end of the Houston blurb outlines the reason to NOT trade Joe Ryan:  "Moving him could leave the Twins searching for exactly this type of player.

[um_stevenel]

I’m not sure what the restrictions are on recent draftees; but I assume the reason Lackey isn’t listed is that he will not yet be eligible to be traded. Is that correct?

[mikelink45]

I know everyone is high our two new draft choices, but with Caratini gone in another year we might need Tait.

[arby58]

20 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

I know everyone is high our two new draft choices, but with Caratini gone in another year we might need Tait.

Lackey is older and more refined both offensively and defensively. My guess is he makes AAA before Tait.

[MMBoys93]

I will never disagree with having a list of untouchable prospects. Every major league team has some variation of that list.
 

Unfortunately, where the twins have really come up short the last decade is a complete unwillingness to trade decent prospects for major league talent. Outside of Petty for Gray they have tightly held onto any legitimately ranked prospect. 
 

Unwilling to spend money-  ✅

Poor talent development - ✅

Won’t trade for major league talent- ✅

1 playoff series win in 20 years- ✅

[Trov]

58 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

I know everyone is high our two new draft choices, but with Caratini gone in another year we might need Tait.

Tait will not be at MLB by 2028, not unless a couple of things happen, one he learns how to not swing at everything, and two every other option is hurt.  He is still very young, and will need time to develop.  I bet he makes it to MLB in 2030, and he would still be only 23.  He could crack in 2029, but no way in 2028. 

[Andy MacPhail]

1 hour ago, um_stevenel said:

I’m not sure what the restrictions are on recent draftees; but I assume the reason Lackey isn’t listed is that he will not yet be eligible to be traded. Is that correct?

That'd have to be the reason, because Twins have no one close to Lackey to replace him. Making him very untouchable. Tait is very questionable in what kind of catcher he'd turn out to be if he sticks at catcher at all & I have more doubts with Tinney.

[jmlease1]

With the caveat that no one is ever truly untouchable (no matter who the player is, it's possible for another club to so wildly overpay that you go, "yeah...ok.") I think this list is pretty good. Marek Houston is probably more touchable than the others (and Lackey would be on there if eligible; I suppose he could be now that he's signed?). While I like Houston and I've been impressed with his improvement at the plate, if the Twins are convinced that Culpepper can be a legit SS (not Brooks Lee "he can play there" level) then Houston is...not expendable, just more tradeable, because there's still some concerns about his bat.

I'm sure someone is nosing around Riley Quick, hoping to snipe him while the walks are high. I don't think the Twins would let him go for anything other than a huge overpay.

[AlLagoon]

I don't expect the Twins to make any kind of move that would put any of their top prospects in play.

They would be foolish to trade any of them for the small chance to get knocked out of the playoffs early.. Unlike the Wild, they are not in "win now" mode. Their window is tomorrow, once these great prospects are in the bigs.

The White Sox are in position to add, not the Twins.

I expect the Twins to add more Nance level help, which isn't a bad approach.

[GNess]

I agree with the basic premise of this well written article. I would also add Rojas to the list of untouchables given he is a LH with legit SP potential.

Of course, you have to give something to get something and the Twins can't cling to all of their Top 30 prospects.

[amjgt]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I know everyone is high our two new draft choices, but with Caratini gone in another year we might need Tait.

If we assume Jeffers is gone in 2027, which is likely but not 100%...

2027 - Caratini (7M) + Jackson (Arb2)
2028 - Lackey (Rookie) + Jackson (Arb3)
2029 - Lackey (Rookie) + Tinney/Tait (Rookie)

That assumes things go pretty well on the prospect side, but none of that feels too crazy. 

[strumdatjag]

The Twins minor league system needs more pitching.  That’s why the Twins recently drafted so many.  For that reason, Dasan Hill and Kendry Rojas should be on the untouchable list (unless they are being traded for pitching). 

[Hunter4848]

No prospect should be untouchable if we bring back actual big league talent. It's a mindset like this that holds the Twins back

[Historyking88]

Literally half of this article is completely redundant. You say the Twins have great pitching depth and it’s their greatest strength which are both lies. Then you turn around and try to justify trading guys like Rojas and Hill who will be part of this team’s future. Do you actually believe the crap you throw out there? Or just throw it at the wall to see if it sticks? The Twins are not going all in to trade for anyone this year anyway. If anything they need to keep building up the farm system with more pitching depth which you would get in a Ryan trade. 
 

Jenkins, Culpepper, Houston, Tait, Hill, and Quick are the only players who shouldn’t be up for consideration to be traded. If Rodriguez or Gonzalez can help get a building block for the bullpen going forward and the future along with someone from the big league roster like Larnach or Jeffers then so be it. 

[Blyleven2011]

Im sorry  This is not the year to trade prospects and go for it , they haven't a chance in the playoffs if they make it , 2022 deadline wasn't the year to go for it but they did and what a blunder of trades they made  , 2023 deadline was the time to go for it and they didn't  , we made the playoffs and took 1 series  ...

Jeffers ( caratini , jackson), larnach ( Gonzales ,  roden ) and gray ( who cares ) can be traded and we can continue to play good exciting baseball and get some help for the bullpen  ...

Things are looking better for 2027 if there are games played , off season should be active for the twins ...

Again sorry fans , this is not the year to cash in our chips and go for it just to say we made the playoffs   , if the twins finish 500 that should be sucessful enough for everyone to be more excited for the next season  , considering how bad they they were in 2024-25  ...

 

[Wedman13]

2 hours ago, MMBoys93 said:

I will never disagree with having a list of untouchable prospects. Every major league team has some variation of that list.
 

Unfortunately, where the twins have really come up short the last decade is a complete unwillingness to trade decent prospects for major league talent. Outside of Petty for Gray they have tightly held onto any legitimately ranked prospect. 
 

Unwilling to spend money-  ✅

Poor talent development - ✅

Won’t trade for major league talent- ✅

1 playoff series win in 20 years- ✅

Respectfully disagree.  You cannot discount "except petty" as easily as the post does.  Trading a recent #1 pack takes some stones.  The twins spent money, recognized a possible flaw, traded for MLB talent.  Petty, steer, CES, Bader, some moves that didn't work (gomez?).

when the team had a shot, I think they went for it, with the small town budget they have

[Wedman13]

38 minutes ago, Historyking88 said:

Literally half of this article is completely redundant. You say the Twins have great pitching depth and it’s their greatest strength which are both lies. Then you turn around and try to justify trading guys like Rojas and Hill who will be part of this team’s future. Do you actually believe the crap you throw out there? Or just throw it at the wall to see if it sticks? The Twins are not going all in to trade for anyone this year anyway. If anything they need to keep building up the farm system with more pitching depth which you would get in a Ryan trade. 
 

Jenkins, Culpepper, Houston, Tait, Hill, and Quick are the only players who shouldn’t be up for consideration to be traded. If Rodriguez or Gonzalez can help get a building block for the bullpen going forward and the future along with someone from the big league roster like Larnach or Jeffers then so be it. 

Hate the post not the poster.  Opinion only... It's a compelling article, which got you to respond.

[Brandon]

I don't get not going for it this year.  We bring up Jenkins to play RF and our offense which already leads the league in runs scored is better.  Our SP.is average.  Our bullpen is improving.  A good reliever and a number one or two level starter should put.us in contention to win in the playoffs.  

[LA Vikes Fan]

I feel like the article and the comments are missing some nuance. If the question is should we trade for rental starter or reliever, I think the list is good. The other hand, if the opportunity is there to trade for a frontline starter with plus years of control remaining debtors or Soriano (I'm sure there are others), then my mind the list changes. Culpepper or Houston than to become available. One, not both. Trading Riley Quick would you be very difficult would have to be outstanding package of say a controllable starter and a controllable younger reliever.  Still, if that's available you have to consider that possibility. I do agree that Jenkins is never on the table

I think we sometimes get bogged down in the paradigm of prospect for older, rental player. I agree that this team is not good enough to make that kind of a one year only move by trading nay of the good prospects
. However, there are a lot of articles suggesting that younger, controllable players might be available from Angels, Giants, Rockies, or even the Royals. Now you're balancing proven upside with unproven, possibly higher upside and much higher chance of failure. Then, I would consider trading pretty much anybody except Jenkins in the right deal.

I do think this team's competitive window is actually opening for the next 2 to 4 years. It doesn't really open until next season, although some minor moves so that this year's team has a chance to sneak in and get some playoff experience makes sense. Say, trading a 20 – 30 prospect for a guy like Robbie Ray or Kevin Gausman, or a 15 – 30 prospect for Luke Weaver who has a year left on his contract after this one. If we could trade for someone that has the next two seasons of control that might line up well with the timeline of some of our other players like Ryan, Buxton, Lewis, Keaschall, Lopez, Lee, etc., all of whom have at least one controllable good year left if not more. 

 

[DataNerd]

We are 49-51, trading anyone on this list is a mistake at this point.  This is a middling team and trading major assets when you are on the upswing on a middling team is a mistake due to being impatient.  If we want to use prospects to improve the team, wait until the offseason where the guys we want will be cheaper

[Eris]

“If the Twins do decide to buy, they'll undoubtedly lean on one of baseball's deepest farm systems to acquire immediate help.”

I guess deepest can mean more than one thing—for example depth without excellence. FanGraphs has the Twins farm system ranked 13th which I will interpret as average. 

[gmwannabe]

Reid Detmers please!

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, Hunter4848 said:

No prospect should be untouchable if we bring back actual big league talent. It's a mindset like this that holds the Twins back

Sure, but that's not really the way the world works, right? No one is dealing the best pitcher in baseball with years of control left for any of these guys......you know what this post is about. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

I feel like the article and the comments are missing some nuance. If the question is should we trade for rental starter or reliever, I think the list is good. The other hand, if the opportunity is there to trade for a frontline starter with plus years of control remaining debtors or Soriano (I'm sure there are others), then my mind the list changes. Culpepper or Houston than to become available. One, not both. Trading Riley Quick would you be very difficult would have to be outstanding package of say a controllable starter and a controllable younger reliever.  Still, if that's available you have to consider that possibility. I do agree that Jenkins is never on the table

I think we sometimes get bogged down in the paradigm of prospect for older, rental player. I agree that this team is not good enough to make that kind of a one year only move by trading nay of the good prospects
. However, there are a lot of articles suggesting that younger, controllable players might be available from Angels, Giants, Rockies, or even the Royals. Now you're balancing proven upside with unproven, possibly higher upside and much higher chance of failure. Then, I would consider trading pretty much anybody except Jenkins in the right deal.

I do think this team's competitive window is actually opening for the next 2 to 4 years. It doesn't really open until next season, although some minor moves so that this year's team has a chance to sneak in and get some playoff experience makes sense. Say, trading a 20 – 30 prospect for a guy like Robbie Ray or Kevin Gausman, or a 15 – 30 prospect for Luke Weaver who has a year left on his contract after this one. If we could trade for someone that has the next two seasons of control that might line up well with the timeline of some of our other players like Ryan, Buxton, Lewis, Keaschall, Lopez, Lee, etc., all of whom have at least one controllable good year left if not more. 

 

You'd have to get a guy with 3+ years of control left. Who is trading that?

[DJL44]

Walker Jenkins has not had a swing and miss on a ball in the strike zone this season.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/walker-jenkins-max-clark-headline-10-statcast-standouts/?fbclid=IwdGRjcATLPOJwZG9mAWZkaWQWUK48GkjpzxKd-vm2JZ56SCgM_2uIW2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4EJUD5dBjw3-TuMOPjGiQWewYNEZGSZrvfXDoEvyfySZAb08mA_HmPpIqMgQ_aem_yfwK_mgHB-Hzgcq0KAMc1Q

[HrbieFan]

3 hours ago, Hunter4848 said:

No prospect should be untouchable if we bring back actual big league talent. It's a mindset like this that holds the Twins back

Culpepper is one that I would dangle to the Angels in a Detmers package

[amjgt]

One reason to push a few more chips in the table this year compared to other years with a similar team is that, yeah, we've got flaws, but so does EVERYONE in the AL.

The AL is the worst it's ever been. 

An average team who's playing half decent could win this league. 

[Derojo]

Rojas especially,, yet also Tait have significant upside. If the goal is the World Series, trading high upside talent is ridiculous. I have no interest in wild card purgatory teams, which, no fault with Joe, is what we had in the Mauer era. 

[MMBoys93]

3 hours ago, Wedman13 said:

Respectfully disagree.  You cannot discount "except petty" as easily as the post does.  Trading a recent #1 pack takes some stones.  The twins spent money, recognized a possible flaw, traded for MLB talent.  Petty, steer, CES, Bader, some moves that didn't work (gomez?).

when the team had a shot, I think they went for it, with the small town budget they have

Very fair point out of CES and Steer.

I had not remembered immediately how far up the prospect boards Steer had jumped.

My overall point here, though is for small market teams, the top-tier organizations are Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee

Tampa Bay is great at development, but they don’t shy away from trading away major league, talent and adding major league talent in the off-season or at the deadline. They don’t heavily guard their prospects as much as the twins do.

Cleveland does not trade their players very often, but their development is the best amongst all three of these teams, and they have shown that they can win without needing to do this. What Cleveland has done is trading from a surplus to add prospect Or major league talent in areas where they feel they need it.

And then there’s Milwaukee who does a lot of everything. They acquire good major league talent when they need it, they trade their talent away when they know they won’t resign them.

All 3 teams maximize the value of their players.

The twins haven’t delevoped MLB talent near the rate of the 3 orgs. They’ve  extended one homegrown player in the last 7 years. Every year their team is filled with one year deal FAs, and prospects from their organization since the beginning or from years they sell at the deadline. They’ve had a surplus of corner outfield prospects for years now, but they’ve been terrified to trade from a position of strength to strengthen an area that’s weaker. 
 

Now they’re on the verge of losing Jeffers to FA without ever attempting to extend or move him. That’s exactly the type of player that Cle,TB,Mil would have maximized value out of. 

 

The best small market orgs maximize the value at every stage of a players lifecycle. The Twins don’t extend players early, don’t trade them at peak value, and don’t aggressively convert prospect capital or positional strengths into major league talent.