Which Twins Players Are Playing Their Last Games in Minnesota?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Even with games remaining on the schedule, the Twins' offseason roster decisions are beginning to take shape. Several players are approaching free agency, creating decisions about whether Minnesota wants to bring them back or let them test the open market. Others have struggled enough this season that offering them arbitration or committing another roster spot could be difficult to justify. Then there are players who haven't necessarily done anything wrong, but are watching younger players with more upside move past them on the organizational depth chart.

That combination could lead to significant turnover this winter. The Twins have spent much of 2026 evaluating what their next competitive roster should look like. As the season winds down, that makes the final games more than just a conclusion to a disappointing year. They are also an opportunity to look at which players might no longer have a place on the next version of this team.

So, with the offseason approaching, which Twins players could be playing their final games in Minnesota?

Ryan Jeffers

Jeffers is probably the most obvious player on this list from a contractual standpoint. The 29-year-old catcher is headed to free agency, which will offer the first opportunity to secure a multi-year deal. The Twins can make him a qualifying offer, but that's unlikely—and even if they did, Jeffers would probably turn it down, as he continues looking for guaranteed money and a longer commitment. Minnesota has a decision to make behind the plate, and Jeffers will have plenty of suitors when he reaches the open market.

Josh Bell

The Twins signed Bell hoping he could build on the improvements he showed during the second half of last season. That hasn't really happened. Bell has posted a 105 OPS+ this season, which sits 10 points below his career average. He doesn't provide defensive value, putting additional pressure on his bat to carry his roster spot. At this stage of his career, Father Time may be starting to catch up with Bell. The Twins could look for a younger option at first base and designated hitter this winter.

Taylor Rogers

Rogers wanted to finish his career where it started. He has accomplished another major milestone by reaching 10 years of MLB service time, which gives him the pension benefits associated with a decade in the majors. Now, retirement could be the next step. Rogers has had a remarkable career, including an All-Star appearance and years of being one of the game's more reliable left-handed relievers. This season, however, has been forgettable.

Bailey Ober

Ober's situation is more complicated, but there are legitimate questions about his future with the Twins. His fastball velocity hasn't returned to where it was earlier in his career, and the Twins have pushed his recent starts back multiple times. There have still been successful stretches, but starting pitching becomes much more difficult when a fastball consistently tops out in the high-80s. Ober has shown that he can pitch without overpowering stuff. It's less clear whether he can do it consistently enough to remain a rotation piece for a team trying to build its next contender.

Matt Wallner

Wallner has already played his final game for the Twins this season. He has been at Triple-A since May and has continued to produce at a high level, but the organizational depth chart has changed around him. Younger outfielders have moved ahead of him, and Wallner has publicly suggested that he doesn't expect to return. That makes him one of the more obvious offseason storylines. A player with his power could still attract interest elsewhere, especially after another productive season in St. Paul.

Dark Horse: Royce Lewis

This is where the exercise gets really interesting. Lewis has not produced at a high enough level (91 OPS+) to make his return to first base an automatic decision for 2027. The Twins have invested heavily in him over the years, but roster construction eventually has to be based on what a player is producing now rather than what everyone believes he can become. One possibility would be moving Lewis back to a platoon role at second base, pairing him with a left-handed hitter. But that creates another question: Is that actually a role in which Lewis can succeed?

That makes him the dark horse on this list. It would be surprising to see the Twins move on, but the organization has plenty of decisions to make before next season. The final games of the 2026 season won't mean much in the standings for Minnesota, but they could provide important clues about the organization's plans.

Free agents will make their own decisions. Veterans could retire. Younger players could force their way onto the roster. And the front office will have to determine which pieces still fit with the direction of the organization. 

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Will any of these players be back next season? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[DJL44]

I don’t expect Minter to return. There is a decent chance this is the last time we see Joe Ryan in a Twins uniform as well.

[big dog]

Any reason why Trevor Larnach should not be on this list as well? I know most had him on the list last year and were wrong, but the same reasons seem even stronger now.

[SarasotaBill]

Larnach is long gone

[TroyVang]

Why would they not make the QO to Jeffers? Worst case is that you get another year of a great catcher. Would you be overpaying? Maybe, but not by much. And he would likely decline it so he could the long term deal. That means that the Twins that get an extra draft pick. I feel like this is a no-brainer, but I guess it's not.

[Eris]

It should be quite a few players having played their last games with the Twins.  Considering who has earned a spot on the roster for next year. 3B Lee, SS Culpepper, 2B /utility Clemens, OF Buxton, Keaschall, Rodriguez (and possibly Jenkins). That’s it. Six or seven players have earned a roster spot for 13 positions. Everyone else is very replaceable,  or leaving via free agency, or hoping they live up to their prospect potential. 

[PuckettPond]

Twins need a hard reset. Lets try for a 1985, 1986, 1987 remake. Two years building up to a World Series season. Jenkins, Culpepper & Erod are more exciting & fun to watch than the players they replaced. Our better pitchers will be the young guys next year. Zebby looks to be a valuable starter. 

[bean5302]

10 minutes ago, TroyVang said:

Why would they not make the QO to Jeffers? Worst case is that you get another year of a great catcher. Would you be overpaying? Maybe, but not by much. And he would likely decline it so he could the long term deal. That means that the Twins that get an extra draft pick. I feel like this is a no-brainer, but I guess it's not.

The QO is a big overpay for Jeffers, but probably not enough for him to accept it because I'm sure he's looking to test free agency. Jeffers is likely expecting a 3-4 year deal.

[bean5302]

Depends on who is in charge of the front office.

Depends on the CBA.

As it is now, if Zoll remains in charge:
Jeffers gone
Bell back
Rogers gone
Ober back
Wallner back
Lewis back

Zoll will keep every asset he has and run the team back unchanged because there's no room left on the 40 man.

[Parfigliano]

Lewis, Larnach, Ober, Jeffers, Wallner, Rogers bye bye.

Buxton I wish would leave but I fear another year of pretending you can build around a guy that isn't available for 40-50% of the season.

[DuluthDuke]

I was confused why Wallner didn't get at least a cup of coffee at end of season, until I saw that in his past 30 AAA games he hit .170 with 48 K in 106 AB. His overall season numbers look okay but striking out 109 times in 334 milb at bats suggest he'll be overseas next year.

I'd suggest Sabato and his MLB minimum salary will be the DH to open 2027, no offense to Mr. Bell who has done about as his history suggested he would.

[jmlease1]

55 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Depends on who is in charge of the front office.

Depends on the CBA.

As it is now, if Zoll remains in charge:
Jeffers gone
Bell back
Rogers gone
Ober back
Wallner back
Lewis back

Zoll will keep every asset he has and run the team back unchanged because there's no room left on the 40 man.

Why would Zoll re-sign Bell? The idea that Wallner will be back is very unlikely; even Wallner himself is saying he's going to be somewhere else. This seems like just another blind "I hate the front office!" post. Boring.

[Chembry]

36 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

The QO is a big overpay for Jeffers, but probably not enough for him to accept it because I'm sure he's looking to test free agency. Jeffers is likely expecting a 3-4 year deal.

Extending a QO to Jeffers is the only way to justify not trading him.  Otherwise you let him walk for nothing.  At least we could get a comp pick if he declines.  

Jeffers is probably going to get 4yrs/$70-80M.  The best comp is probably JT Realmuto who was coming off back to back 2.8 and 2.5 WAR seasons when he signed at 3/$45M, but he was also 35 at the time.  Jeffers will be 29.  JT grades out better defensively, but Jeffers grades out better offensively at the time Realmuto signed.  Wilson Contreras is another comp.  He signed a 5/$87.5M for his age 31 season.  He was coming off a 3.8 WAR season.  At the time of that signing,  Contreras was coming off a .243/.349/.815/126 OPS+ season, while Jeffers is at .259/.360/836/134 OPS+.  Contreras was better defensively, but has now switched to 1B.  Additionally, Jeffers is far and away the best catcher in this free agent class, which may create a bidding war.  We know the Yankees need a catcher and they will pay.   

[HeresWaldo]

As the impending free agent and plausible retirement candidate, Rogers is unlikely to be back next year, but they're going to need to turn over more than one bullpen spot if they are serious about fielding a better team. Minter is also on the way out the door which clears a second spot, but he's another lefty and that still leaves no obvious open spots to upgrade the righty part of the bullpen. One of the current right handed options will need to either be optioned to AAA or outright replaced if they want to avoid repeating this year's mistakes again. 

[Blyleven2011]

Will any of these players be back next season , of the players that are mentioned a couple will remain …

as for the direction of the team , the team continues to have no straight forward plan to establish or sustain success …

[JBK]

We've been waiting years for Royce Lewis to do something.  I think he's already peaked.

[Linus]

Not to be too picky but I find this statement absolutely incorrect: “The Twins have spent much of 2026 evaluating what their next competitive roster should look like”.
I think the Twins have done a poor job of this in 2026 and will set back the inevitable rebuild or reload because of it. 

[HarmonK03]

27 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Why would Zoll re-sign Bell? The idea that Wallner will be back is very unlikely; even Wallner himself is saying he's going to be somewhere else. This seems like just another blind "I hate the front office!" post. Boring.

History says he will re-sign Bell.  I don't disagree with you about Wallner but if Zoll is in charge Larnach is very likely to be back as well.  They already signaled their intentions the last month when they kept playing  Larnach and didn't call up ERod because they couldn't find at bats for him.

This front office still favors the average or less veteran vs. young players.  If Zoll stays, we will have pretty much the same roster with both Ober and Kremer in the rotation.  And we will see more blunders like Kreidler made yesterday with no hope for the future.

[LastOnePicked]

Essentially, they've gotten next-to-nothing from this entire five-year wave of prized OF prospects: Rooker, Wallner, Larnach, Martin and Kirilloff. You can add in Lewis, though I never thought he should have been in the OF.

Almost no production. Virtually no trade value. Each have their reasons, but the outcome is the same.

A team like the Twins absolutely has to turn a good share of highly-touted prospects into productive big-leaguers. I hope Tom Pohlad is at least curious about why there's so little return on investment here, I don't think Jenkins will be a bust, but I don't blame fans for fearing the worst.

[CRF]

Easily could rattle off about 6-8 names...and I know I'll get ripped for it, but I wish Buxton was headed outta here too. 

[jmlease1]

4 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

History says he will re-sign Bell.  I don't disagree with you about Wallner but if Zoll is in charge Larnach is very likely to be back as well.  They already signaled their intentions the last month when they kept playing  Larnach and didn't call up ERod because they couldn't find at bats for him.

This front office still favors the average or less veteran vs. young players.  If Zoll stays, we will have pretty much the same roster with both Ober and Kremer in the rotation.  And we will see more blunders like Kreidler made yesterday with no hope for the future.

Considering Rodriguez has to be on the 26-man next season and they're likely to give Jenkins every chance to win a job as well, there's very little chance Larnach is back. Keep in mind, Zoll tried to trade Larnach at the deadline. Again, why exactly does Zoll want to bring Larnach back? 

Maybe we'll see Ober back, but as disappointing and frustrating as Ober has been, and as concerning as his loss velocity is...Ober actually has the second highest bWAR of any pitcher on the roster.

Kreidler is a utility guy who will likely be competing with Ben Ross to keep his job. He ain't the reason the Twins are out of contention, and if he's back on the roster it'll hardly be a disaster.

But we have little idea about what Zoll will do to the roster under Tom Pohlad's ownership and having a full off-season in which to work. We don't know what the payroll budget is going to be, we don't know who will be available, we don't know what the market will be like. We don't know if they're going to commit to young players in the OF...but it sure seems likely since Keaschall seems to be off the dirt, Rodriguez can't go back to AAA in 2027, and they love Jenkins (who might need to make some adjustments in AAA, but also might just need to work in the offseason and keep playing in MLB).

[mark allen]

The best the twins played this year was without Jeffers. Offensive I think he's great, Maybe how he calls pitches is not. I'm hoping we offer him a qualified offer and he rejects. Bell will not be resigned,  No room for Larnach. Lewis remains the first base of choice.

 

[Vanimal46]

55 minutes ago, DuluthDuke said:

I was confused why Wallner didn't get at least a cup of coffee at end of season, until I saw that in his past 30 AAA games he hit .170 with 48 K in 106 AB. His overall season numbers look okay but striking out 109 times in 334 milb at bats suggest he'll be overseas next year.

I'd suggest Sabato and his MLB minimum salary will be the DH to open 2027, no offense to Mr. Bell who has done about as his history suggested he would.

Yeah, Wallner's still getting destroyed by high velocity in the upper half of the strike zone. Maybe he gets one more chance to redeem himself in MLB... The power potential is still high if a coach can tweak his swing mechanics. 

[jmlease1]

1 minute ago, CRF said:

Easily could rattle off about 6-8 names...and I know I'll get ripped for it, but I wish Buxton was headed outta here too. 

Getting rid of Buxton won't make you any happier about the franchise. I guarantee you'll end up mad at the return they got for him, mad that they're not spending money on someone else, mad that he's playing well for someone else, mad at someone else's injury etc. Try to make peace with the fact that it's going to be hard to keep Buxton healthy enough to play more than 100 games or so, but that he'll be very damn good while he does it (that the Twins should have plenty of OF talent to cover for him if he misses extended time again)

[Vanimal46]

Bell, Rogers, Jeffers, Wallner are pretty obvious players to move on from. In the case of Jeffers he's ready to move on from the Twins.

Ober I would non-tender and wish him the best. I don't want to get stuck with him making $7-8 million and he continues his downward spiral.

Lewis I flip flopped throughout the season, but now I am firmly in the trade him category. Both parties need a fresh start.

I would also add Austin Martin and Larnach to the list. Dark horse candidates Alan Roden and Anthony Banda.

[Eris]

14 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Again, why exactly does Zoll want to bring Larnach back?

Because Larnach was / is the 3rd or 4th best hitter on the Twins and is approximately in the 75th percentile as an MLB hitter.  Players who are above average hitters have value. The problem with Larnach is he should be a full time DH and the Twins also have 5 or 6 players whose best position is DH. 

[David Maro]

Has anyone looked at the standings,this is a 4th place team in a division of teams playing 500 ball. They need to make major roster moves to improve the team in 27. All the talk about Jeffers isn't going to help the team do what needs to be done. Why wait for Lewis to get back to someone he isn't. He had a month or two in his major league career. Time has come to move on from 4th place players.

I guess TP could sit on his hands and wait to see what the CBA looks like,but is that a good idea. Time for him to step up and show the fans he hears them. He now has another year of bad baseball to look at. Running the same team out next with only a couple of changes will only see the same result. They gutted the BP last year now it's time to do that to the position players.

[Althebum82]

Those are some pretty damning numbers for Wallner's last 30 games especially in an offense-happy league.

Rogers was a reasonable signing off of a decent, although past-his-prime, 2025.  Just watch the Cubs sign him next year and squeeze one more great season out of him before he reverts back to retirement-ready numbers in 2028 (a la Caleb Thielbar).

All Josh Bell has done is lead the team in RBI for the season.  I really hated the signing the first two months especially, but it seemed like once they removed the glove off of his left hand his offense took off.  Do I think he should come back?  Not really.  It is becoming harder and harder to watch one dimensional players, even though they have clearly been a part of MLB since it began, even before the DH role was created.

Sigh.  How much patience can Royce Lewis be shown?  Remember the comments from Derek Shelton that once he was announced as manager Lewis was one of the first players he contacted?  So, yes, he will be back.  We have seen him more healthy this season than previous years.  It seems hard to expect, though, improvement despite his gaudy entrance into the league.  I do not expect him to survive 2027, however.

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, DuluthDuke said:

I'd suggest Sabato and his MLB minimum salary will be the DH to open 2027, no offense to Mr. Bell who has done about as his history suggested he would.

The DH will be more by committee in 2027 as we want to play Jenkins, Rodriguez, Buxton and Keaschall all at the same time and they belong in the OF or DH, when the OF is filled with the other three.

[LastOnePicked]

21 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Try to make peace with the fact that it's going to be hard to keep Buxton healthy enough to play more than 100 games or so, but that he'll be very damn good while he does it (that the Twins should have plenty of OF talent to cover for him if he misses extended time again)

There's wisdom here, and a good attitude and I really honor it.

But there will come a time when he comes back from a surgery and he's no longer very damn good. And that time might be soon. Buxton's desire to play this summer while less-than-healthy hurt the team. They have to find a way to not let that happen if this squad somehow gets on a roll next season.