A Look at the Twins 40-Man Roster Heading into a Key Offseason

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

What distinguishes Adams to place him in the “locked” category over, say, Nance? Or even over the guys who were promising in relief in super small MLB samples, Acton or Anderson?

[Mike Sixel]

It's really hard to take this seriously, when you say they have to think about Mercedes. 

[Brandon]

I thought Klein was traded to the Bluejays.

Ross is staying.  He plays multiple positions, exactly what you want from an injury call up.  Someone who can play the position of the injured player.

Larnarch will be tendered or traded.  A 120 OPS+ season is not being let go over 6.3 million.  He can be 2/3 DH with 20 games in LF 

While, I believe they can trade Ober, he could be nontendered if they are worried he will throw slower next spring.  Ober and Lewis are the fun debates here.  

Nance will be kept. They need relievers and he will cost what Topa did this year with similar expected results.  

Domo origato let go Sabato ...Domo.....(Styx reference)

Wallner is out too but could he resign with St Paul Saints or try somewhere else. 

Parades, Acton, Orze, Anderson, Sands, Banda.  All interchangeable.  Depending on how many spots they need they can coin flip which one to keep and let go.

 

[Vanimal46]

20 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

It's really hard to take this seriously, when you say they have to think about Mercedes. 

Gotta manufacture drama when you miss the playoffs 5 out of 6 seasons. 

[Danchat]

29 minutes ago, whosafraidofluigirussolo said:

What distinguishes Adams to place him in the “locked” category over, say, Nance? Or even over the guys who were promising in relief in super small MLB samples, Acton or Anderson?

Adams gets swings and misses, and his final numbers on the year weren't bad. His WHIP was better than Nance's (1.32 vs 1.54) though Nance's FIP expects that number to improve. I don't think they DFA the soon-to-be 27 year old with some upside (and can be optioned) whereas Nance is going to be 36. I'd hold onto Anderson, I'm not high on Acton.

26 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I thought Klein was traded to the Bluejays.

The article was referring to how he was protected from the 2025 Rule 5 draft, which was a minor surprise as he wasn't seen as a lock by Twins Daily.

[MeleMouth]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

It's true that both Gonzalez and Mendez have to show a lot to continue to be prospects because hitting is their primary, perhaps only, ticket. Gonzalez played some first base so he has some positional flexibility and Mendez is a left handed hitter, but both guys have to be well above average hitters to be big league assets. They'll both be 23 for the 2027 season and have options so there is some time,

It depends on many factors, including (1) how many OF they want on the 2027 40-man, (2) how many other OFs are in the system who could be called up, (3) how many spots they want for other positions, (4) how many open spots they want so they can add players, and (5) where they think cost-effective options to add players may be.

Assuming Larnach and Wallner are gone, 8 other players on the 40-man can play OF: (i) Buxton, Keaschall, Jenkins, ERod, Martin, Roden, Kreidler, and Clemens.

Other system OFs who could potentially rise to the majors in 2027 who aren't taking up a spot on 40-man include Kendle, Rosario, and Diaw, assuming Rosario isn't taken in the Rule V.

That gives 11 potential other OFs.

There are currently 23 non-FA Ps on the 40-man. That number will probably decrease, but cuts could be challenging to decide and it would actually be a good idea for the Twins to acquire a few more pitchers.

They need better upper-level org depth at all other positions, and might want to upgrade at DH. Right now, the 40-man doesn't include a DH. Therefore, spots for OFs, particularly OFs who are poor at defense and don't look like 120 wRC+ hitters, could be hard to hold. Note that a poor-fielding OF with a 120 wRC+, Larnach, is himself on the bubble. 

It would be reasonable to keep both Gonzalez and Mendez on the 40-man through the winter to see how they do next year, although players in their situation may be harmed by the extended time off from a lockout. At the same time, it wouldn't be crazy for the Twins to remove them from the 40-man if they decided they wanted to use their spots to upgrade their talent elsewhere.

The decision could come down to how much the team believes in their bats. Gonzales had a 91 wRC+ in AAA in 2026. Mendez had an exciting 142 wRC+ in AAA between May 6 and June 9 with more walks than Ks, although with a very high .368 BABIP and not much power, but just an 85 wRC+, even less power, more Ks than walks, and a BABIP of .286 for the rest of the season that is reasonable for a ground ball hitter with little speed. As you said, their youth suggests a chance for more development, although Gonzalez is considered to have little physical development left and slow players often stop developing at a younger age. Thus = bubble.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Gray should be gone. Not a good player 

Im keeping Kriedler. His defense is not easy to replace. Hes also the only guy on the roster that can backup SS. 

Trade Lewis. He has no place on this team. Below average bat. Barely average defense at 1B and below average defense anywhere else. He has no business being a starter and he wont be happy to accept a bench role. 

Larnach is gone. No room on this team for a guy that cant play defense and would be a platoon batter. 

Does Ross have options left? Im keeping him in AAA, if so. 

Unfortunately, I dont think we saw enough of Sabato to warrant keeping him around. I would, however, be open to bringing him back on a minor league contract. 

Wallner doesn't have a place on the team. Again, Poor defenders dont have a place anymore. I do think his bat still has potential, though. If he doesn't find a major league deal, I'd be open to a minor league deal for him. If he could be more consistent, we've seen in the past how good his bat can be. 

Acton can go. Fringe guy. Probably find better options released by other teams. 

Anderson did well while pitching for us. I dont understand why he wasnt given a better chance to show what he has. I'd like to see more, but not on a major league deal. If he can be stashed in AAA, then bring him back. 

Probably keeping Nance around. 

I think someone would trade for Ober. He ended up being our 3rd best starter last season. I'd tender him a contract and see who's interested. 

Orze is gone. 

I read Banda wont be ready at the beginning of the season. I'd release him and try to bring him back on a minor league deal to see if he recovers and can help later in the year. 

Paredes did an admirable job filling in. Im up in the air on him. 

Sands is gone. No need to see more.

[tony&rodney]

3 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

For "decision makers" people listed Zoll, scouts, and other front office types.  But no one mentioned the manager.  Does Shelton get any say in who he gets to work with?

Front office puts together the roster. Depending on the team there may be various levels of communication with the coaches and manager. 

[TheLeviathan]

[D.C Twins]

I could see Sabato coming back on a minor league contract for the Twins. 

Wallner should go tear it up in Japan. 

Keeping Ross is a no brainer. I could easily see him as our cheap utility man of the future. 

Larnach and Lewis need to go.... It would be nice to get something for them, but I'm not sure they are worth much to others unfortunately.

 

 

[Linus]

A huge factor in all these decisions is are the Twins really trying to win?  Several roster decisions will be different if you are going to try and make the playoffs next year compared to build for 27/28. 

[Mike Sixel]

10 minutes ago, Linus said:

A huge factor in all these decisions is are the Twins really trying to win?  Several roster decisions will be different if you are going to try and make the playoffs next year compared to build for 27/28. 

Tommy boy is in charge. You know they are going to go half way toward winning. 

[stringer bell]

Did we see enough of Ross to believe he is an adequate backup at shortstop? I didn't think so. 

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Tommy boy is in charge. You know they are going to go half way toward winning. 

Some day I hope this organization learns that going half way towards a goal never gets you to that goal.

[darin617]

5 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

It depends on many factors, including (1) how many OF they want on the 2027 40-man, (2) how many other OFs are in the system who could be called up, (3) how many spots they want for other positions, (4) how many open spots they want so they can add players, and (5) where they think cost-effective options to add players may be.

Assuming Larnach and Wallner are gone, 8 other players on the 40-man can play OF: (i) Buxton, Keaschall, Jenkins, ERod, Martin, Roden, Kreidler, and Clemens.

Other system OFs who could potentially rise to the majors in 2027 who aren't taking up a spot on 40-man include Kendle, Rosario, and Diaw, assuming Rosario isn't taken in the Rule V.

That gives 11 potential other OFs.

There are currently 23 non-FA Ps on the 40-man. That number will probably decrease, but cuts could be challenging to decide and it would actually be a good idea for the Twins to acquire a few more pitchers.

They need better upper-level org depth at all other positions, and might want to upgrade at DH. Right now, the 40-man doesn't include a DH. Therefore, spots for OFs, particularly OFs who are poor at defense and don't look like 120 wRC+ hitters, could be hard to hold. Note that a poor-fielding OF with a 120 wRC+, Larnach, is himself on the bubble. 

It would be reasonable to keep both Gonzalez and Mendez on the 40-man through the winter to see how they do next year, although players in their situation may be harmed by the extended time off from a lockout. At the same time, it wouldn't be crazy for the Twins to remove them from the 40-man if they decided they wanted to use their spots to upgrade their talent elsewhere.

The decision could come down to how much the team believes in their bats. Gonzales had a 91 wRC+ in AAA in 2026. Mendez had an exciting 142 wRC+ in AAA between May 6 and June 9 with more walks than Ks, although with a very high .368 BABIP and not much power, but just an 85 wRC+, even less power, more Ks than walks, and a BABIP of .286 for the rest of the season that is reasonable for a ground ball hitter with little speed. As you said, their youth suggests a chance for more development, although Gonzalez is considered to have little physical development left and slow players often stop developing at a younger age. Thus = bubble.

I feel the reason for Gonzalez and Mendez to be kept is that they both bat right handed and the team is loaded with left handed bats.

[darin617]

19 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Did we see enough of Ross to believe he is an adequate backup at shortstop? I didn't think so. 

Very short window to see what he could do. At least he can play infield and outfield.

[Mike Sixel]

25 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Did we see enough of Ross to believe he is an adequate backup at shortstop? I didn't think so. 

I mean, we're taking backup. How much do you expect to see?

[Mike Sixel]

Also, what is key about this off season? They've been terrible two years on a row. 

[MeleMouth]

5 minutes ago, darin617 said:

I feel the reason for Gonzalez and Mendez to be kept is that they both bat right handed and the team is loaded with left handed bats.

Mendez hits lefty.

Last year, Gonzalez had an 86.2 EV and 30.6% hard hit rate in AAA. He didn't walk much, as he never has. The Twins don't need right-handed hitters with low OBP who can't hit the ball hard or field better than average. 

[IndianaTwin]

9 hours ago, DJL44 said:

That is an unusually long recovery from lat surgery, and contradicts the reports from when he had the surgery. I wonder what complications caused the setback.

 

9 hours ago, strumdatjag said:

But consider that the season could very well start late anyways.  In other words, until the labor issues are resolved, ALL players are OUT.   The Twins should find a way to keep Banda, since much of the time he loses to injury prior to midseason is likely lost due (along with all other players) to MLB labor/CBA issues. 

Not to mention that if he is indeed out until mid season, he can be put on the 60-day IL at the beginning of spring training. If a lockout lasts most of the winter and a lot of the offseason moves coincide with spring training, Banda’s presence wouldn’t preclude roster activity at that point.
 

To mention that if you combine these and assume the lockout will go until at near the beginning of 

[IndianaTwin]

9 hours ago, darin617 said:

Any reason why the 60 day IL guys aren't listed in the locked category? The need to be added to the roster and can't be on the 60 day IL until the season starts.

Agreed that it would be helpful for the purpose of this exercise to put these guys in the locks category as appropriate.

Clarification on the second sentence — though the 60-day clock doesn’t start until Opening Day, for purposes of roster management, they can be put on the 60-day IL when pitchers and catchers report.

[Cory Engelhardt]

13 hours ago, Reptevia said:

I would say they same for Martin and Roden. 

I can almost get there with Martin. To say this about Roden is fairly insane.

[Mike Sixel]

15 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I can almost get there with Martin. To say this about Roden is fairly insane.

People literally refuse to look at how Roden played last year. 

[mrguy]

I've had the opinion for a while that I imagine Larnach and one of the bubble/IL pitchers like Paredes or Festa or whoever will probably be packaged as a trade somewhere. I feel like the package deal could attract a decent enough return to justify. I don't feel like I'd want to 100% move on from those players, but if there's a worthwhile return you could get, either MLB or MiLB, I wouldn't say no.

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 minutes ago, mrguy said:

I've had the opinion for a while that I imagine Larnach and one of the bubble/IL pitchers like Paredes or Festa or whoever will probably be packaged as a trade somewhere. I feel like the package deal could attract a decent enough return to justify. I don't feel like I'd want to 100% move on from those players, but if there's a worthwhile return you could get, either MLB or MiLB, I wouldn't say no.

I can see this. If Larnach gets offered arbitration I have to think Houston or someone else would probably still be interested. But they'd better make sure a trade would go through this time.

I also think, well, both Ryan and Ober could be on the block. Ryan for whatever the best package is, but maybe Ober could get back a strong defensive catcher like Pedro Pages of the Cardinals? He can't hit, but pairing him with Caratini and then in a year plus with Lackey wouldn't be the worst thing in my opinion.

[mrguy]

2 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I can see this. If Larnach gets offered arbitration I have to think Houston or someone else would probably still be interested. But they'd better make sure a trade would go through this time.

I also think, well, both Ryan and Ober could be on the block. Ryan for whatever the best package is, but maybe Ober could get back a strong defensive catcher like Pedro Pages of the Cardinals? He can't hit, but pairing him with Caratini and then in a year plus with Lackey wouldn't be the worst thing in my opinion.

An underrated option to me is probably Freddy Fermin on the Padres. With Ethan Salas up, the Padres are currently rostering 3 catchers. I imagine they will want Salas to be an everyday option for the team, so I could see them shopping around either Fermin or Luis Campusano. both have about the same amount of team control remaining, so their value there is about equal, but Fermin would be an objective upgrade defensively in every metric at catcher over Caratini and Jeffers. They need SP depth and a solid everyday left field option, so I'd at least see if Larnach/some SP depth piece/Ober might get conversations started.

[Cory Engelhardt]

4 minutes ago, mrguy said:

An underrated option to me is probably Freddy Fermin on the Padres. With Ethan Salas up, the Padres are currently rostering 3 catchers. I imagine they will want Salas to be an everyday option for the team, so I could see them shopping around either Fermin or Luis Campusano. both have about the same amount of team control remaining, so their value there is about equal, but Fermin would be an objective upgrade defensively in every metric at catcher over Caratini and Jeffers. They need SP depth and a solid everyday left field option, so I'd at least see if Larnach/some SP depth piece/Ober might get conversations started.

Yup, sign me up for that too. That sounds good on my end as well.

[HarmonK03]

9 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

People literally refuse to look at how Roden played last year. 

In July he performed poorly like every other time he has been in the big leagues, he did well in August and September in the same number of at bats.  I wouldn't get rid of him, but he did not do enough to say he is any more than a bench piece at this time.