Going Forward: To DH or to Not DH

[Riverbrian]

Just now, strumdatjag said:

Once the CBA issues are resolved (and who knows when), some of that outfield (and catching) depth should be traded to bolster positions of need.    

We certainly have a pile of OF considerations. 

Catching... Yikes... I wouldn't touch that one yet. Our MLB depth at that position is years off. 

 

 

 

[strumdatjag]

9 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

We certainly have a pile of OF considerations. 

Catching... Yikes... I wouldn't touch that one yet. Our MLB depth at that position is years off. 

 

 

 

Agreed.   But the Twins have some minor league depth, Lackey, Tait and Diaw.   One could be a piece in. a trade. 

[Riverbrian]

6 hours ago, strumdatjag said:

Agreed.   But the Twins have some minor league depth, Lackey, Tait and Diaw.   One could be a piece in. a trade. 

Understood

But... I'd rather they take advantage of that talent themselves. I'm tired of buying catching at the market, we need to grow our own and for the first time in decades I am witnessing the organization make the position a priority and taking advantage of the catching market instead of being victims to it. We still don't know who is going to fly straight out of the bunch. If we have 4 major league catchers in a few years. Keep the best of them and deal of the excess. Let other teams who didn't develop their own catching pay the prices to acquire them. But we do have to identify who is excess first. 

If we were to deal catching future depth right now and It's a perfectly reasonable thought. Go top of the pile... You trade Lackey right now. He probably brings back the most in a trade. His value is probably off the charts right now.  

[strumdatjag]

2 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Understood

But... I'd rather they take advantage of that talent themselves. I'm tired of buying catching at the market, we need to grow our own and for the first time in decades I am witnessing the organization make the position a priority and taking advantage of the catching market instead of being victims to it. We still don't know who is going to fly straight out of the bunch. If we have 4 major league catchers in a few years. Keep the best of them and deal of the excess. Let other teams who didn't develop their own catching pay the prices to acquire them. But we do have to identify who is excess first. 

If we were to deal catching future depth right now and It's a perfectly reasonable thought. Go top of the pile... You trade Lackey right now. He probably brings back the most in a trade. His value is probably off the charts right now.  

If there was a return for Eduardo Tait, another left-handed batter,, wouldn’t that be something to consider?

He is having a mediocre season in Cedar Rapids, with an OPS of .701.   There are concerns about Tait’s defense behind the plate.  Finally,  he is not athletic like Lackey.  Tait is still highly regarded and could net a great player in return.   He should not be viewed as untouchable. 
On the other hand, Diaw might not stick at catcher,  That could make it harder to trade Tait.  

[DJL44]

22 hours ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

There is only 1 bat that I would consider as a DH bat and its Arraez which he won't do.   

They need a second baseman more than they need a DH. Add Arraez there (or Jazz Chisholm, Lowe, Torres, etc).

I would love to see a “bench” of Martin, Kreidler, Clemens and Rodriguez with the DH spot open for one of the regulars to get a partial rest day.

[Riverbrian]

46 minutes ago, strumdatjag said:

If there was a return for Eduardo Tait, another left-handed batter,, wouldn’t that be something to consider?

He is having a mediocre season in Cedar Rapids, with an OPS of .701.   There are concerns about Tait’s defense behind the plate.  Finally,  he is not athletic like Lackey.  Tait is still highly regarded and could net a great player in return.   He should not be viewed as untouchable. 
On the other hand, Diaw might not stick at catcher,  That could make it harder to trade Tait.  

I’m not sure how to assess them yet. However in theory… at least in my theory… if you are moving a prospect for major league ready. You’d trade higher value to get higher value back knowing the rollercoaster before them. 

Tait probably lost value for the reasons you mention. If Lackey has a mediocre season his value drops. I’d just rather develop and produce multiple options. I want a catching log Jam if major league ready. 

[DocBauer]

 

To be honest, there's been a lot of posts that I wanted to "like", but haven't. My reasoning is simple. I just wanted everyone to share their opinions before I shared mine.

I LOVE having a full time DH when they are SPECIAL. I reflect back to Chilli Davis in the day, and Cruz more recently, with a little Jim Thome thrown in. Those were SPECIAL DH options. If wishes were granted in MLB, I'd WISH the Twins could have a SPECIAL DH who could be more than a statue at a position for a few games here and there to allow days off, or as a fill in once in a while due to injury. 

But to now be fully transparent, I don't want the Twins to have a full time DH in 2027 unless they invest in someone who actually is SPECIAL. 

I prefer to keep the DH spot open for half days off for a quality roster that can make that happen. And I don't believe that's a pipedream. The 2027 OF is going to include Buxton...who might DH a little more...Jenkins, Keaschall, and Rodriguez...out of options. The 5th OF is open to future debate, and not necessarily import here.

The INF will be Lee, K-Pepper,  Clemens, and Lewis. The Super Utility is open to debate between Kreidler, Ross, and a potential trade/FA. ASSUMING the Twins don't just get super aggressive and just give the SS job to Houston, he should be up at some point next season to scramble the INF a bit. IMO, all the more reason to NOT have a full time DH.

I've heard theories that MAYBE Rodriguez will be treated as a Rule 5 selection since he's out of options, and will be treated as such.

WTH? The 2026 Twins would have been better just giving RF to Rodriguez as I argued for, and just let him be hot and cold and play good defense and give him the time he needs to adjust. SLIDING DOORS, but maybe he doesn't hurt his thumb again sliding in to 1B if he was on the Twins roster. And maybe TODAY, we're talking about how much he's developed this season instead of wondering about his 2027 role.

Once again, if Rodriguez played for Cleveland, Milwaukee, or Tampa, this wouldn't be a question. He'd already been a fixture in their lineup. So once again, poor lineup and roster considerations by the FO.

And also another argument for NOT having a primary DH.

Buxton can DH a little more to conserve his legs, and ALL the OF can DH once in a while. As can the INF with YOUR CHOICE of Super Utility player whether it's Kreider, Ross, or a FA, or trade option. I wouldn't mind another Punto tradez or a Castro FA surprise. And I don't dislike Kreidler either. But I think the Twins would be pretty stupid to NOT consider Ross seriously for 2027. They invested a fairly high draft selection on him and he's really turned a corner in 2026. We can debate his prospect status all day long, but he and Kreidler play the same positions. Kreidler might be the better glove, Ross the better bat. One older, one younger with more bat potential. But I regress only to state Clemens can DH for a day, or Lewis, or Lee, because there is room to do so.

At some point, I really believe Houston is going to take over SS from K-Pepper, who is a solid SS in his own right. I just really believe Houston's glove is the real deal. And I think K-Pepper could be a GG 2B in time, AND a SS hitter.

ALL the more reason to not have a fixture at DH unless the Twins invest in someone SPECIAL for the position. But I just don't see that happening. While Catcher is a question mark offensively, I believe the OF and INF will have enough talent that a rotating DH will actually be a strength, not just someone to throw in to the spot.

We want and need Jenkins, Buxton, Keaschall, Rodriguez, Lewis, Clemens, K-Pepper, and Lee to play daily. But they also need days off. So half days off at DH makes sense.

So, OK, let's play with the 5th OF for a moment. It could be Martin. It could be Gonzalez. But the roster just SHOULDNT be built for 12 and a half players! The 5th OF, whoever it is, should be a RH bat who rakes against LHP, but doesn't suck against RHP since they will end up facing RHP once in a while. 

So here we are at the #5 OF spot where it MIGHT make sense to have that Full Time DH. We already have 4 OF, PLUS Clemens to play some OF, PLUS our SU INF can also play some OF as well. It would be awesome if that Full Time DH could be better than a butcher in a corner OF spot, but it also opens up the opportunity to actually ADD such a bat. I'm not sure who that player might be at this point. We've still got a long offseason to go through.

But again, aren't we just better, and more balanced, if that 5th OF isn't maybe a veteran OF who only has to play part time and be decent in the corners while raking against LHP and be decent against RHP? Isn't that a better lineup and position player lineup while keeping the DH spot open?

IMO, FINALLY ADD  a decent RH bat for the 5th spot in the OF that you aren't "scared" to play in the OF and won't cost a huge $ contract. 

But DON'T spend $ on anything else but the rotation and the bullpen.

It's TIME to play everyone else and trust in them and let the DH be a floating spot. It's really not hard to see a 2027 lineup filled with inexpensive, mostly young, and very talented players with better speed, better defense, and a ton of potential instead of spending $ for a full time DH.

[Brandon]

On 8/20/2026 at 9:44 AM, LA Vikes Fan said:

Guys, I think we already know what's going to happen. Next year's Opening Day DH is ... Josh Bell. Not only is that the likely answer, it's the right answer. Absent injury, he's going to finish this year with 20 plus HRs, 90 plus RBIs, and a slash line of roughly .260/.325/.435 (or better). Bell is our best run producer this year, likely to be one of our best next year, and he's already shown us that he will be one of if not the best clutch bat we have down the stretch. He's an experienced bat who can hit 4 or 5 in a contending team's lineup aginst both RH and LH pitching with neutral platoon splits. He's a leader and well liked in the clubhouse. He likes it here. We don't need another bench glove with the versatility of Kriedler and Clemens so we can carry a full time DH who can fill in at 1B in a pinch. There is a mutual option at $10m with a $1.25m buy out so his real cost is $8.75m with the option. The Twins are likely to exercise their half of the option if only to avoid the buy out cost and I doubt if he will get offered much more than $10m anywhere else. Bell just makes too much sense to be gone unless he gets a big money offer elsewhere OR we think all 3 of Keaschall, Jenkins and EmRod are going to hit better than Bell and the DH rotation will provide more than 20 HRs, 100 RBIs, and a .775- .800 OPS. Keaschall looks like a likely yes, but the other 2 - who knows? They are pretty unlikely to have an OPS above .750 in their first year in the bigs, much less the .775-.800 necessary to be as good or better than Bell. And that's before look at what were getting get out of the DH spot with some sort of rotation.

We don't need top lose Bell to give plenty of ABs to the OFs. These guys don't have to play 160  games to get a shot, nor should they. No one plays that much for a reason - for most guys it limits their effectiveness because they are playing dinged up or exhausted. The sweet spot for most players is 140-150 games, 500-550 ABS. You also have to add in the fact the Jenkins and EmRod are both LH and haven't really hit LH pitching so well in the Minors so we might want to protect them against quality LHs as they adapt to the Majors. By the way, as young players, watching from the bench occasionally actually helps them learn something and adapt.  We don't need to keep the DH spot open so the big 4 OFs get enough playing time. The 3 OF spots give them plenty of playing time, especially with Buxton on the IL for at least 20-30 games a year. 

DocBauer has identified the most likely 4 OFs with Larnach traded. I think Martin also will be on the team as the RH OF starting against LH pitching and occasional pinch runner. At 4.5ish PAs a spot, there are roughly 730 PAS per OF spot, 2190 for the season. Buxton will play 120 games in the OF if we're lucky. This year has been a good one for him on injuries and he has 375 PAs now and is likely to finish with below 500 PAs, maybe below 475. Martin takes 200-225 as the RH OF. That leaves 1500-1550 OF PAs for the other 3 guys plus an occasional day at DH (Bell won't play very day). In short, there will be 500 plus PAs for Keaschall, Jenkins and EmRod even if they don't ever DH, with another 20-25 from the DH spot the more likely result. That's 550 plus PAs, 500 plus ABs per guy. And that's assuming they earn them or we divide them evenly. More likely Keaschall earns 600 plus PAs, with Jenkins and EmRod earning more like 450-500 PAs in their first year IF things go well.  

The whole point of this diatribe is that we don't need to starve ourselves of a good hitting DH that we already have to free up ABs for two young guys who may or may not actually perform. What we need to do is play the best players that can help us produce the most runs so that we can take the next step from this year's team into a truly contending team next year. If Jenkins and EmRod each get 450 to 500 PAs next year as their first taste of the Majors and actually perform decently that would be a major development coup for the Twins. They are not going to come up and be high performing everyday MLB players their first year at ages 22 and 24, respectively, unless we are incredibly lucky. People point to Milwaukee as a great development organization. Jackson Chourio is probably better than either Jenkins or Emma but let's say they're even and both play the same way he did in his first year. Wow, that would be great and it's pretty damn unlikely. Chourio had 528 ABs in his first year, 557 PAs, in 148 games for 3.75 PAs per game played. That means he didn't play 148 full games, more like 130-135 or so full games another 10 – 15 where he met Kukla Dr. started but was subbed out against a tough relief pitcher, came in during the late innings, pinch ran, pinch-hit, etc. We can keep Josh Bell as a full-time DH starting 150 games a year, still give BOTH Jenkins and Emma at least that much playing time, AND get 20+ HR's and 80+ RBIs from a guy who can hit in the four or five spot and is making roughly $10 million year. Why on earth wouldn't we do that? This is a no-brainer.

Let's not overthink this. We don't need the DH spot to create ABs for Jenkins and Emma. For create those ABs, what we need to do is trade Larnach and either trade or demote Roden. I think a LArnach trade is likely and if we don't trade Roden in the off-season, he will fight it out in Spring Training one of these two spots and either win the spot or get demoted to AAA. We don't need an open DH spot for any of this.

I was going to write something about keeping Bell next season.  He is on pace for 98 RBIs.  His OPS is the exact same as last season.  He is not a great hitter but he is driving in runs channeling his inner Chili Davis. Spoiler alert, we resigned him too.  He is a great value with the RBI, a statement that doesn't show he is great hitter by any means but a stat that matters. He knocks in 95 RBIs and 10 million option pickup is a no brainer 

[Whammy]

11 hours ago, DocBauer said:

WTH? The 2026 Twins would have been better just giving RF to Rodriguez as I argued for, and just let him be hot and cold and play good defense and give him the time he needs to adjust. SLIDING DOORS, but maybe he doesn't hurt his thumb again sliding in to 1B if he was on the Twins roster. And maybe TODAY, we're talking about how much he's developed this season instead of wondering about his 2027 role.

Once again, if Rodriguez played for Cleveland, Milwaukee, or Tampa, this wouldn't be a question. He'd already been a fixture in their lineup. So once again, poor lineup and roster considerations by the FO.

 

I have a few different opinions related to the high level 2026 AAA prospects.

1) We hamstrung ourselves with some 2025 trade decisions as well as some offseason choices. We made the path to the majors more convoluted for these prospects than it should have been. This is a totally self inflicted wound

2) We've generally drug our feet with promotions. There were very logical points earlier this year where it would not have been surprising at all to have called up Culpepper, Emma, and to a lesser extent Jenkins (that's definitely the case with Jenkins now, but wasn't the case in May). We didn't make those call ups and then....

3) The Twins and those prospects have gotten historically unlucky with the timing of some injuries. I don't however give the Twins a full pass here because if you're going to drag your feet with promotions, you're going to get the prospects pressing even harder to impress the MLB club. Were their injuries a result of pressing? Would those injuries have happened if they had gotten called up 1 day before they happened? Impossible to say. But I do think some extreme unluckiness has played a big part in where we are at right now. 

[bean5302]

I don't think there is any question Josh Bell was signed to be the Twins near exclusive starting first baseman. It was widely reported Bell was going to be the primary first baseman. It didn't play out that way.

 

Quote

Bell figures to be the primary first baseman for new manager Derek Shelton, who briefly overlapped with Bell in Pittsburgh. The Twins' current internal options at first base are serviceable, but limited. Edouard Julien can handle the position in short spurts, but is stretched defensively. Kody Clemens brings versatility and pop, but profiles better as a part-time player. Neither option offers the middle-of-the-order presence that Bell provides.

 

[bean5302]

The Twins do not need a DH. Probably? Who knows, though with the way the front office has built the roster.

[Linus]

I’m with Doc. The Twins need difference makers wherever we can find them. If one of them is available at DH then do it. Otherwise leave it open. Josh Bell is a slightly above average hitter - that’s fine if you are a slick fielding second baseman - DH, not so much 

[DocBauer]

On 8/25/2026 at 9:37 AM, Brandon said:

I was going to write something about keeping Bell next season.  He is on pace for 98 RBIs.  His OPS is the exact same as last season.  He is not a great hitter but he is driving in runs channeling his inner Chili Davis. Spoiler alert, we resigned him too.  He is a great value with the RBI, a statement that doesn't show he is great hitter by any means but a stat that matters. He knocks in 95 RBIs and 10 million option pickup is a no brainer 

I like Bell and have liked him. I wanted him signed a couple times over the past few years. And I liked his signing this year, but I greatly disliked the idea he was supposed to be the Twins primary 1B. We all saw how poorly that decision went, and how quickly they disbanded that idea.

And I like what Bell has done for the Twins this season, despite his typical 1st half slump issues. But I'm personally a NO on a resign of him.

Buxton, Jenkins, Rodriguez, and Keaschall...though he might be used as more of a utility player and part time DH...are in the 2027 OF. You need playing time for all 4. And Buxton may end up with a little extra DH time as well just to preserve his body better.

Currently, assuming we don't have a major FA signing, or a surprise of Houston jumping straight from AA...though there is precedence in the Twins past of doing so...the INF is seemingly set with Lee, K-Pepper, Clemens, and Lewis.

Currently, Caratini and Jackson are the catchers, barring a surprise or two. 

That's 3 spots open. One for a 5th OF, which I'm not going to get in to at the moment, and 1 for a Super Utility player, which I'm also not going to get in to at the moment.

That leaves ONE spot open for the player/position of your choice. And while it sounds great to have a special BAT on your team to take that DH spot...like Cruz a few years ago...I don't think Bell is SPECIAL the way Cruz was. (Or Chilli Davis back in the day). Having that primary DH limits your roster flexibility, which is again fine, as long as it's a SPECIAL BAT.

Of course, considering poor roster construction the past few years, the Twins tend to ignore the 13th man altogether, which is ridiculous, and a different story for a different day.

EXTREME EXAMPLE, but Keaschall as a primary DH produces enough OPS to fill the spot most days compared to league average. The problem there is you give up the potential of a power bat at the position. EXCEPT, POTENTIALLY,  the Twins have 20HR hitters in Lewis, Lee, Clemens, Buxton, and possibly K-Pepper. So to do Jenkins and Rodriguez, but I'm not going to bank on that from a pair of rookies, no matter how talented.

And not only do we have to mix and match our 4 primary OF, but the INF need days off, and half days off. 

In 2027, I'd like to focus on the YOUNG players, while relying on the older ones like Buxton, Clemens...not ancient...and Lewis (still only 27yo when the season starts)...and make sure everyone plays almost daily and keep that DH spot open for rotating duties. IMO, that focuses more on today AND tomorrow and provides more roster flexibility. 

Just my opinion.

[Whammy]

One thing that laying it out that explicitly does is show how little money we are actually going to have tied up in the lineup next season (I'm going to use 1M for the pre-arb guys for easy math)

Buxton - 15M
Keaschall - 1M
Jenkins - 1M
Emma - 1M
Lee - 1M
Culpepper - 1M
Clemens - 1M
Royce - 4M
Caratini - 7M
Jackson - 2M
5th OF - 1M (Roden or Mendez, or Gonzalez)
Super U - 1M (I'm assuming this is going to be Kreidler)
13th man - ??

So, can we afford a DH Masher? Yes. We have $36M committed to that half of our roster in 2027. But more to your point, do we want to spend on a DH? Does that hamstring us in other ways, in sort of the same way Outman being on the roster hamstrung us unnecessarily early this season?

I'd so much rather use that "payroll room" to splurge on a Jeffers QO and hope he takes it (he probably wont). 

[Road trip]

Solid "no" on spending on a DH, unless it means spending on Jeffers to come back to do a Catcher/DH 50-50 split.  There are only a half dozen difference makers at most in the league who are primarily DH's, and we aren't going to get Schwarber, Alvarez, or Ohtani. 

[MMBoys93]

The team has the worst defense metrics in baseball and Bell playing DH every day is a big part of that. They can’t hide guys at DH when he has to play there every day, while putting up an OPS+ of 107. It’s not worth it.

 

Twins have to move on from some of these major league level outfielders as well. I think we have 9 now between AAA and MLB. 10 if you count Clemens.

Take on some MLB contracts by moving some of these guys who don’t have room here next year, know that they’re going to have a lot of young guys in the lineup next year and use the open DH to improve team defense while still being a hopefully top 5 offense in the AL

[DocBauer]

On 8/27/2026 at 3:16 PM, MMBoys93 said:

The team has the worst defense metrics in baseball and Bell playing DH every day is a big part of that. They can’t hide guys at DH when he has to play there every day, while putting up an OPS+ of 107. It’s not worth it.

 

Twins have to move on from some of these major league level outfielders as well. I think we have 9 now between AAA and MLB. 10 if you count Clemens.

Take on some MLB contracts by moving some of these guys who don’t have room here next year, know that they’re going to have a lot of young guys in the lineup next year and use the open DH to improve team defense while still being a hopefully top 5 offense in the AL

And you've also sort of restated my opinion here as well.

But I don't believe the Twins will have to take on much, if anything, to move on from the glut of OF on the roster. Maybe in regards to Larnach? At his current salary, he was worth a ML reliever to the Astro's GM as a mutual rental for each team. Word has it, there were other offers for Larnach that included a prospect or two. The Twins didn't want to disrupt the current team for prospects. Had they known Larnach was going to go in to a funk, perhaps they would have changed their mind.

Larnach, still under team control, is due about $7-8M via arbitration this offseason. I'd be surprised if a team was desperate enough to trade a prospect or 2 for him at that salary. MAYBE the Twins toss in a couple $M to make a deal? We can hope for it, but I doubt it.

Wallner is still, more or less, a minimum $ player. Moving him to a team trying to build something might net a decent prospect, but there would be no $ included in the deal.

I have to point out that with Jenkins and Rodriguez with the Twins in 2027, the St Paul OF isn't exactly deficient. Barring trades, and understanding there might be some 1B play also involved here, Gonzalez, Mendez, Rosario, a rehabbing Olivar...also in the catching mix...and Spain from AA are all part of the St Paul OF to begin 2027. It's also possible Roden is there. And dare I say it, Martin still has an option. An IDEAL Twins offseason might have them FINALLY signing or trading for a RH corner OF who beats up LHP but doesn't suck against RHP. That could be a HUGE but not necessarily expensive add to the 2027 Twins roster.

And waiting in the wings would also be Winokur at some point, as well as Kendle, who has made a MAJOR jump in status here in 2026. Not ALL of these names are great prospects, but a few of them are. But St Paul's OF for 2027 is just fine, and there really is no reason to pay anyone to "take" an OF unless, again, a couple $M could be sent along with Larnach to a team in real need for a solid, experienced LH bat and a decent prospect in return.