What Should the Twins Do With Trevor Larnach This Offseason?

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins are officially in offseason mode, and that means it’s time to start making some decisions. One of those decisions will be about outfielder Trevor Larnach, who's coming off a career year offensively. A resurgent 2026 makes his future with the Twins an interesting question heading into the offseason. There are a few different factors that could play into Minnesota’s decision, and there’s certainly a case to be made for either keeping him or moving on.

So, what should the Twins do? Let’s break it all down.

Pros of Bringing Him Back

As I noted, Larnach is coming off the best offensive season of his career. The 29-year-old slashed .269/.352/.436, setting career highs in all three departments of the slash line. For a Twins team that could certainly use some consistency in the lineup, it’s easy to see why keeping his bat around would be appealing. While he might not be the type of hitter who completely transforms a lineup, a player who can post an OPS approaching .800 certainly has value, particularly at a relatively affordable salary.

This year, the Twins and Larnach avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.475-million contract. His salary for 2027 is projected to land around $6.3 million, which would be a noticeable increase but hardly an outrageous figure for a hitter coming off the season he just had. The Twins aren't in a position where they should be giving away productive major-league bats, and there's a legitimate argument for keeping him around if the financial commitment makes sense.

From a pure ability standpoint, Larnach's bat is worthy of being in the lineup next season. The question is whether Minnesota can find a way to give him enough opportunities to make that investment worthwhile, without being overly reliant on him repeating what might be the best season he'll ever have. That's where things start to get a little more complicated.

Cons of Bringing Him Back

The biggest issue with bringing Larnach back is the Twins' current roster construction. Barring a shocking trade this winter, Minnesota figures to have Byron Buxton, Luke Keaschall, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez in the mix for outfield playing time in 2027. Considering the organization will (presumably) want to give their young players opportunities to establish themselves at the major-league level, there might not be enough consistent playing time to go around.

Even if Minnesota decided to move Keaschall back to the infield to open up some additional opportunities, that would create its own set of questions. There are only so many ways to shuffle the roster before another position becomes crowded, and bringing Larnach back would make those decisions even more difficult. Of course, the Twins could always use Larnach primarily as their designated hitter. That would allow his bat to remain in the lineup without requiring a regular spot in the outfield, but it would also limit the flexibility of the DH position and potentially take opportunities away from other players.

It's worth remembering that Minnesota nearly traded Larnach during the 2026 season. The Twins reportedly had a deal in place with the Houston Astros that would have sent Larnach to Houston in exchange for reliever Bryan Abreu, but the trade fell through at the last minute. While there's no guarantee the Twins will revisit those discussions this winter, the situation certainly suggests they were willing to move him for the right return.

It seems to reflect the roster crunch Minnesota is facing. If the organization decides someone needs to go to make room for younger players, Larnach is definitely a far more realistic candidate than Buxton or one of the prospects the Twins are hoping will become important pieces of their future. That doesn't mean the Twins should simply give him away. His offensive production has value, and if another team is interested, Minnesota should look to get something worthwhile in return. Still, the combination of a crowded outfield and a rising arbitration salary makes Larnach a logical trade candidate.

Timeline

So, what does the timeline for all of this look like? The first major decision point comes on November 20, when the Twins will have to decide whether to offer Larnach a contract for the 2027 season or non-tender him.

If Minnesota is comfortable paying Larnach roughly $6.3 million, then this decision is pretty straightforward. Offer him a contract, and figure out how to fit him into the lineup consistently. If the Twins aren't comfortable with that salary, however, they'll need to figure out whether Larnach is viewed as an asset by other teams at that price. That means exploring the trade market. If Minnesota can find a team willing to take Larnach on at his projected salary while giving up something good in exchange, it might make the decision much easier.

If the Twins can't find a meaningfully interested trade partner, though, they'll have to weigh a more tangled set of considerations. Do they offer Larnach a contract anyway, since ownership is (at least nominally) committed to expanding the payroll in 2027? Or do they decide the salary is too much for the role they expect him to have and non-tender him, making him a free agent?

There's an added wrinkle here, because with the Collective Bargaining Agreement ending on December 1, a lockout is likely to begin just 10 days after the non-tender deadline. If that leads to an accelerated spring training or a shortened window to make roster moves, the Twins might not have much time to explore a trade later in the offseason if they decide they don't want Larnach after all. On balance, moving on from him seems the wiser course—but they might need to accept less than the absolute maximum possible trade value in order to get that done on a schedule that keeps their offseason on track.

View full article

[Mike Sixel]

Let him go. He can't field. They have four OF besides him already. 

I'm sure a huge number will come here saying keep him..... But those same people say keep everyone. Everyone on a team that hasn't won in two years. 

[rdehring]

I am of the opinion that the Twins, or any team for that matter, should never let a player with value leave without receiving something in return.  Although my solution isn't easy, it should be doable.  That would be to trade him in November prior to the lockout.  If not possible, offer arbitration and work to trade him after the lockout.  Have always liked him, but the Twins must open the corner outfield spots for the young guys.

[mickster]

I don't like giving away an asset of any value.   I would like him brought back to provider more depth.   We have Buxton, ERod and Jenkins who all have injury history and two are unproven at this time.   I would like Erod used in a trade to balance the roster.

[OregonTwinsFan]

Trade him before the non-tender deadline. If that doesn't work, let him go.

 

[IndianaTwin]

I'd say the same on Larnach as I did on Bell last spring. The Twins can be competitive if Larnach has a similar season and is batting 7th. If he has a similar season and is batting cleanup, it will be hard to be competitive. 

In a normal offseason, I'd be open/inclined to keeping him or to working at a sign and trade. With the likely accelerated nature of this offseason, if knowing his status earlier allows them to be $6-7M more aggressive in signing a free agent bat who CAN bat cleanup (including Jeffers), I'm more inclined to the non-tender. 

[Mike Sixel]

21 minutes ago, mickster said:

I don't like giving away an asset of any value.   I would like him brought back to provider more depth.   We have Buxton, ERod and Jenkins who all have injury history and two are unproven at this time.   I would like Erod used in a trade to balance the roster.

What are you trading ERod for? What does balance the roster mean? You also have Keaschel, Martin, and Roden.....

I have no idea why people want to keep a LF who can't field. 

[Major League Ready]

I would much rather they reconstruct the roster.  Bring in a 2B via trade or free agency.  Put Keaschall at 1B/OF and let Clemmons play pretty much every day as a super utility or DH.  They should have Roden doing 1B drills this off-season too.

[Cory Engelhardt]

He is at best their 7th best defense outfielder at this point, with Buxton and Jenkins and Keaschall and Rodriguez and Roden and Martin ahead of him. I’d play Clemens in the outfield over him too but I suspect Clemens plays more infield.

He also hit righties well for 2/3 of the year and then dropped off. He can’t be trusted to hit lefties with any authority.

Wish him well. I wouldn’t tender him as I would worry no one would want him. 

[mikelink45]

Sign and trade. We do not need him or Martin. 

[nicksaviking]

Unless he practices short hops at first from now until opening day, he doesn't fit on a well rounded and cohesive Twins roster.

Therefore I expect him to be in LF opening day.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, OregonTwinsFan said:

Trade him before the non-tender deadline. If that doesn't work, let him go.

This is the correct answer. Houston might agree to pay $1M more of Correa’s 2027 salary to acquire Larnach. I’m fine with cash considerations.

[DocBauer]

Buxton, Keaschall, Jenkins, and Rodriguez are all ahead of him and part of the future. Larnach is not. And they also have Roden or Martin for the #5 spot, (I like Roden), and the other on St Paul in reserve. Behind that group is Gonzalez, Mendez, and Rosario for depth. (Unless involved in a trade).

Larnach has some value, just not with the Twins at this point. The Astros thought enough of him to offer a quality pen arm at the deadline before the owner called it off. Arizona is reportedly looking for LH bats. The moment the season is over, get on the phones and move him for whatever you can. An approximate $6.5M for a LH DH/part time OF is not expensive to most teams that have need for someone like him. Maybe a hard throwing AA arm with a nasty 2nd pitch who's ready for a move to the pen? Maybe a multi position utility player who just doesn't figure to start but could help a team?

But please, don't offer him arbitration with the idea of trading him after the lockout. It's a fools errand where you might get "stuck" with a player who doesn't fit your roster. Trade him ASAP or cut bait. Don't handcuff yourself.

[Riverbrian]

I spent all last off-season defending Trevor Larnach against nearly everyone on this website and I'd do it again. 

This year... with all due respect to Trevor... it's time to move him.

Trevor Larnach requires a right handed handcuff. With Jenkins and Emma being strong candidates to be on the 2027 roster. We don't have enough roster space for all the handcuffs that the Twins will need to keep doing what they are doing with every left handed hitter we have rostered. Therefore he must go or one of the other left handed hitting OF will have to wait. 

However... Please keep in mind. Using a filter of at least 200 AB's against RH pitching. Trevor Larnach ranked tied for 53rd in the majors. 

He is in pretty elite company and somehow we have a large group of people on this website that don't want to recognize that. 

Arizona will want him. Make a deal. 

 

[Nashvilletwin]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

I am of the opinion that the Twins, or any team for that matter, should never let a player with value leave without receiving something in return.  Although my solution isn't easy, it should be doable.  That would be to trade him in November prior to the lockout.  If not possible, offer arbitration and work to trade him after the lockout.  Have always liked him, but the Twins must open the corner outfield spots for the young guys.

Boy, you surely are going to be disappointed when we get nothing for Lopez, Ryan, Jeffers and eventually Buxton in addition to Larnach…..

[DataNerd]

He has value as a DH/5th OF.  His arb value is essentially the contract we gave Bell and Larnach was a much better hitter (123 wRC+ vs 106), isn't slow as dirt, and gives more defensive flexibility than Bell did.  If we can get legit value for him I am completely open to a trade, but I'm not going to dump him just to dump him.

We had 6 position players with >2 WAR and nobody between 1-2.  We likely are losing Jeffers, I don't know why we would just give away another guy in that category.  We could get a better DH, but I'd rather spend the money on RP and one of Lowe/Arraez/Chisholm 

[thelanges5]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Let him go. He can't field. They have four OF besides him already. 

I'm sure a huge number will come here saying keep him..... But those same people say keep everyone. Everyone on a team that hasn't won in two years. 

💯

Not good enough with the glove and doesn’t hit good enough to be a primary DH.

[weitz41]

There will likely be 31 other teams trying to move a few guys before Dec 1st. Tender and trade.

[Parfigliano]

6 minutes ago, weitz41 said:

There will likely be 31 other teams trying to move a few guys before Dec 1st. Tender and trade.

This.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Trade Trevor now or non tender him. But hey Tom has to spend somewhere it could be he deems it wise to spend 6.5mil on him.

[weitz41]

1 minute ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Trade Trevor now or non tender him. But hey Tom has to spend somewhere it could be he deems it wise to spend 6.5mil on him.

Or this

[HeresWaldo]

I was in favor of bringing Trevor Larnach back last winter, so this isn't about disliking him as a player, but it's probably time to move on. 2026 was a nice season for him, but I don't see any reason to expect him to do it again next year. He went from a 102 wRC+ in 2025 to a 123 in 2026, but his overall quality of contact got worse, not better. His average exit velocity fell from 90.9 mph in 2025 to 87.7 mph this season, and his squared-up rate dropped from 39% to 33%. His barrel rate remained about the same but it was never elite, and his hard-hit rate dropped from 45.7% in 2025 to 36.7% in 2026.  Even the improved strikeout from 21.6% to 18.2% looks likely to regress, since his whiff rate barely moved (24.7% to 23.7%) and his chase rate actually rose slightly, from 27.5% to 29.7%.

If this is the end of his time here, I don't think we need to view that as a bad outcome for him. He had a couple of nice seasons and was generally pretty good when healthy. I wouldn't completely hate if they brought him back as pure depth if they had some reason to believe a bunch of guys won't be ready for opening day or something like that, but I'm pretty sure we've already seen the career best seasons.

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, OregonTwinsFan said:

Trade him before the non-tender deadline. If that doesn't work, let him go.

 

This. It's not all that complicated. Larnach is a decent platoon DH who can stand in the OF. We need more than that. Between Buxton, Keaschall, Rodriguez, and Jenkins we already have 4 OF that are more likely to contribute more than just at the plate (even if Keaschall is as bad as Larnach in the field, he's still far superior on the bases). We've also got Roden, who is better defensively and on the bases, and may be as good a hitter, and Gonzalez who may be just as bad defensively, but can play against LHP.

There's just little good in tying up resources and a roster spot in Larnach, who isn't a bad player, but is limited. You can't risk finding a trade after tendering him, so it's get whatever you can on him before the arb deadline (all you need is one team unsure if they can sign him if he's a FA and gets to pick his club). A-ball pitcher lottery ticket is enough.

Save the money, save the roster spot, move along. Good luck Trevor, nothing personal.

[jmlease1]

11 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Trade Trevor now or non tender him. But hey Tom has to spend somewhere it could be he deems it wise to spend 6.5mil on him.

Tom Pohlad won't be making this decision, Jeremy Zoll will. Since Zoll tried dealing Larnach at the deadline (too bad Crane nixed it at the last minute!) I'd say the writing is on the wall.

[StiltedGopher]

Larnach needs more power in his hitting to be considered a DH or justify his defensive limitations.   Sure get something if you can, just please please don’t prevent our younger prospects from the opportunity to blossom.  

[MeleMouth]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I spent all last off-season defending Trevor Larnach against nearly everyone on this website and I'd do it again. 

This year... with all due respect to Trevor... it's time to move him.

Trevor Larnach requires a right handed handcuff. With Jenkins and Emma being strong candidates to be on the 2027 roster. We don't have enough roster space for all the handcuffs that the Twins will need to keep doing what they are doing with every left handed hitter we have rostered. Therefore he must go or one of the other left handed hitting OF will have to wait. 

However... Please keep in mind. Using a filter of at least 200 AB's against RH pitching. Trevor Larnach ranked tied for 53rd in the majors. 

He is in pretty elite company and somehow we have a large group of people on this website that don't want to recognize that. 

Arizona will want him. Make a deal. 

 

Can't make these decisions based on what someone did in the past; have to make decisions based on what they are likely to do next year. 

Larnach had his best year last year, but after a great first half, with lower K's, higher walks, and higher BABIP than he ever had before, he was below replacement in the second half. Generally, the second half is a better predictor of next year. Also, power indicators over the full year, like exit velocity and hard hit rate, were by far the worst of his career, even though they trended up during his poor second half. His barrel rate was also close to his career low, which was set in 2025.

An argument not to pay so much attention to his second half is that he was distracted by the trade that was called-off. Maybe, although seems less likely than he just came back to earth. Either way, if this theory is true, it could almost as true that if he is on the Twins next year he will again be distracted by wondering where he's going to be traded. 

If they can get something now for him, great, but he'll be 30 next year with declining power indicators and a bad second half, so the trade market for Trevor Larnach might be a lot less robust over the winter than it was after his great first half.

[Twins GFP]

They are not going to non-tender him. Everybody needs to get that out of their thought process right now. Throwing away a player that out plays his contract makes no sense. 

The question that really matters is will he be a Twin come next year? The article makes good points about moving or keeping him. IMO, with the up-and-coming OF prospects, selling high on Larnach makes a ton of sense. Tender him, then move him.

[CRF]

Buh bye!

[ashbury]

4 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

I'd say the same on Larnach as I did on Bell last spring. The Twins can be competitive if Larnach has a similar season and is batting 7th. If he has a similar season and is batting cleanup, it will be hard to be competitive. 

Do you want your DH batting 7th if you aim to be competitive?  Do you want Larnach patrolling the outfield when you have Buxton, ERod, Roden and perhaps others available?

That's the dilemma I see with Larnach.  

[Mike Sixel]

6 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Do you want your DH batting 7th if you aim to be competitive?  Do you want Larnach patrolling the outfield when you have Buxton, ERod, Roden and perhaps others available?

That's the dilemma I see with Larnach.  

You left off Jenkins, Keaschell, Martin, and Clemons.