Cleaning Up the Twins’ 40-Man Roster: Who Stays? Who Goes?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Every big-league team faces an important roster challenge at the end of the season. Clubs must prepare for free agency, evaluate their organizational depth, and determine which players deserve a spot on the 40-man roster heading into the winter. For the Minnesota Twins, this process will require several decisions that could shape the team's roster heading into the 2027 season.

The Twins currently have 46 players on their 40-man roster, including six pitchers on the 60-day injured list. Those injured players must be accounted for, because at the end of the World Series, they'll have to be placed back on the 40-man list. Minnesota also has several players who finished the season on the roster but might not fit into the organization's long-term plans.

With four players eligible for free agency and several others facing uncertain futures, the Twins have plenty of work ahead. Some decisions will be straightforward, while others could involve moving on from players who have contributed at the major-league level.

Pending Free Agents

Josh Bell, Ryan Jeffers, A.J. Minter, and Taylor Rogers headline Minnesota's group of pending free agents. Each player presents a different dilemma, as the Twins determine how to allocate their offseason resources.

Jeffers is arguably the most significant decision point. Minnesota could extend him a qualifying offer and see whether he accepts a one-year contract worth approximately $23 million. That would give the Twins a chance to retain an established catcher, without committing to a multi-year deal. However, Jeffers could have a strong market as a free agent, making a multi-year contract with another organization a realistic possibility.

Bell was a useful offensive presence during his time with Minnesota, leading the team in runs batted in. However, his lack of defensive value limits his versatility. The Twins could look for a more robust bat this offseason while rotating players through the designated hitter spot. Part of their reason for signing him last winter was that Derek Shelton respected and valued his clubhouse gravitas, but that consideration now needs to take a back seat. Bringing Bell back would make sense only if the organization believes his production justifies the roster spot and financial commitment.

Minter was a solid addition at the trade deadline. The Twins should look to add a reliever of his caliber this winter, whether that means negotiating a new deal with Minter or finding a comparable arm elsewhere. Bullpen depth is important, but Minnesota must balance that need against its available payroll.

Rogers has indicated that he wants to continue pitching in 2027. However, a return to Minnesota seems unlikely. The Twins need to aim higher; there's little left in Rogers's tank.

Injured Players Returning to the Roster

Mick Abel, Anthony Banda, Pablo López, David Festa, Mike Paredes, and Cole Sands are the pitchers who must be accounted for as Minnesota clears its 60-day injured list spots; that list doesn't exist during the offseason. Several of these decisions should be relatively easy. López remains a key part of the rotation, while Abel and Paredes are pitching options the organization will want to evaluate. However, Banda, Sands, and Festa are more complicated cases.

Banda is not expected to return to the field until July and is projected to earn approximately $2.3 million through arbitration. That creates a difficult calculation for a team that needs bullpen help, but might not receive much immediate value from the left-hander. Minnesota could decide that his experience and potential contributions later in the season justify the cost. Alternatively, the front office could use that roster spot and salary on a healthier option.

Sands is projected to earn approximately $1.3 million through arbitration. He broke out in 2024, establishing himself as a useful bullpen arm, but his performance has declined since then due to injuries. The Twins must decide whether they believe he can rediscover that form, or whether his recent struggles suggest it's time to move on. Unless he's willing to sign for something closer to the league minimum, he's unlikely to return—but such deals are relatively common, in situations like this.

Festa's case is different because he remains pre-arbitration eligible. His salary is not the primary concern, but injuries have limited his availability over the past two seasons. Minnesota must determine whether he can still develop into a dependable major-league starter or whether another pitcher deserves the opportunity.

Other Pitchers the Twins Could Drop

Garrett Acton, Jack Anderson, Eric Orze, and Marco Raya are additional candidates to lose their roster spots. The Twins need to maintain a deep collection of pitchers throughout the organization, but not every arm needs to occupy a 40-man roster spot. Minnesota can continue developing players in the minor leagues without protecting all of them from the Rule 5 Draft.

Acton, Anderson, and Orze have opportunities to make their cases, but they are competing for limited space. The front office must determine whether their potential contributions justify protecting them over other pitchers who might be available through trades, waivers, or free agency.

Raya presents the most interesting decision among this group. He's been one of Minnesota's more prominent pitching prospects for multiple seasons, but has yet to put everything together in the upper levels of the minor leagues. His development has not followed the trajectory the organization once hoped for, and there are questions about his performance since shifting to the bullpen.

The Twins could give Raya another opportunity to develop, especially if they believe his raw ability remains worth protecting. However, moving him into a relief role is not necessarily a simple solution. If Minnesota doesn't believe he can succeed in a relief role at the major-league level, they could decide to open his roster spot for someone with a clearer path to contributing.

These decisions are particularly important, because the Twins will need multiple bullpen options in 2027. The goal should be to retain pitchers who have a realistic chance of helping the major-league club, as well as being optionable and affordable.

Other Position Players the Twins Could Drop

Ben Ross, Aaron Sabato, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis, and Austin Martin round out the group of players who could be considered for removal. Ross and Sabato received opportunities with the major-league club late in the season, but those promotions felt more like courtesy call-ups than the beginning of a long-term role. Ross could still compete for a backup infield job next season, particularly if the Twins value his defensive versatility. Sabato appears to be the easiest decision among this group. He's spent years in the organization trying to establish himself as a viable option, but his path to a regular role remains unclear.

Wallner's future is another situation worth watching. After struggling with the Twins, he spent the remainder of the season at Triple-A. His offensive potential has been evident, but he has not consistently translated that ability into major-league production. The writing is on the wall with this one; consider it an open spot.

Larnach, Lewis, and Martin are more complicated decisions, because each has a different combination of experience, potential, and contractual considerations. Larnach remains under team control through arbitration, giving Minnesota a chance to retain him without making a long-term commitment. His skill set feels redundant, though. Other players who fit his profile are more important to the franchise.

Lewis is the most recognizable name in this group, but he hasn't been a consistently productive big-leaguers since the middle of 2024. He's more headache than headliner, but getting rid of a headache often requires swallowing a bitter pill.

Martin has yet to reach arbitration, making him an inexpensive option. He has a sufficiently patient approach to maintain a high floor for offensive value, but his ceiling is very low—and, try as he might, he's still not looking like a plus defender, even in left field.

The Twins appear to have several players with higher ceilings or who are better fits for the roles these six players might occupy. A couple of them could survive the autumn reaping, but most of the group will slough off before December.

The Twins Need to Make Room for the Future

Clearing roster spots is only the first step. The organization must also decide how those spots will be used. Retaining too many fringe players could limit the team's flexibility when opportunities emerge through free agency, trades, or the waiver wire. Some decisions will be difficult, because Wallner, Lewis, and Raya still have intriguing potential. Others (including Sabato and some of the fringe pitching options) might be easier to move on from. The injured pitchers pose financial and developmental questions that the front office must weigh carefully.

If Minnesota wants to build a more competitive roster in 2027, it must be willing to move on from players who no longer fit its plans and use that flexibility to pursue better options. The 40-man roster cleanup is an early but important part of that process. The decisions made this winter could determine how much flexibility the Twins have when the more significant opportunities of the offseason arrive.

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Who would you remove from the 40-man roster? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[bean5302]

46 guys on the 40 man right now.
4 potential free agents, but Zoll will bring back Bell so need to clear 3 spots.

I would drop all 4 pending free agents.
I would drop Banda, Parades and Sabato in a heartbeat.

That would put Minnesota at 39.

[Cory Engelhardt]

3 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

46 guys on the 40 man right now.
4 potential free agents, but Zoll will bring back Bell so need to clear 3 spots.

I would drop all 4 pending free agents.
I would drop Banda, Parades and Sabato in a heartbeat.

That would put Minnesota at 39.

I can't imagine a scenario where Josh Bell is playing for the Minnesota Twins next season. Why do you think he will be back? He can't play 1b, and they have (at minimum) 5 outfielders once Buxton is healthy who can all get playing time.

IF he could play 1b, then that would make sense. Otherwise, I just can't see it.

[Parfigliano]

I would drop Bell, Wallner, Gray yesterday.

[Danchat]

44 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

46 guys on the 40 man right now.
4 potential free agents, but Zoll will bring back Bell so need to clear 3 spots.

I would drop all 4 pending free agents.
I would drop Banda, Parades and Sabato in a heartbeat.

That would put Minnesota at 39.

Why DFA Paredes? He was a reasonably fine backend starter who is the perfect kind of guy to keep at AAA as he's got 3 option years.

There are more logical candidates like Orze, who's out of options and isn't good enough to be on the MLB roster.

[MeleMouth]

The Twins should not drop Marco Raya. But I guess they often do drop relievers like Raya with good pitches but needing one refinement that the Twins don't seem to find or make (Anderson, Cano, Headrick, Megill, Henriquez are a few recent examples) and another team will pick him up and turn him into a 1.5 WAR reliever.

[Coach]

What if we worked from the front to the back?  Like we picked teams in sandlot.  List our best 40 players we want next year.  

I shouldn't have said sandlot, we picked our family and friends first, most often.

[Vanimal46]

Mr. Gilmore, I mean @Nick Nelsonaccomplished this feat writing about this topic no more than an hour ago 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Bell and Rogers should be gone. We need a C and Jeffers is the best available. Im trying hard to keep him in Mn. We need a good LH Relief pitcher and Minter did well. I'd be open to a reunion to fill the lefty reliever role. 

Abel and Lopez arent going anywhere. I like Banda, but he wont be available until atleast July. I could go either way with him. Festa has had so many injuries, but showed potential. I'd be very surprised if they let him go, though. Paredes performed well when asked and he can still be shuttles back and forth from st paul. I'd say hes a keeper. Sands should be gone. 

Acton and Orze can go for sure. Anderson had good results. I'd bring him back as an option to get shuttled back and forth. Raya I dont have an answer for. Maybe he can be included in a trade or keep him in AAA and see if he can turn a corner. 

Ross has potential to be a back up utility guy. Sabato is probably gone. Wallner is probably gone, although I do like his bat when its working. Problem is our DH spot isnt available, so there isnt a place for him. Larnach and Lewis should both be gone. Please rid us of those headaches. I dont see a spot for Martin, either. We have 5 OFers that are better and expected to fill out the roster. Barring a trade, I'd assume hes gone, too. 

Just cleared a ton of spots. A lot of these guys only had value because they could be shuttled back and forth as needed. Without that ability, its time to move on. 

[Fatbat]

There are a few guys that need to be let go but it might be better to keep them around to throw into a trade. Others can be stashed in AAA. Guys like Gray and Sabato will pass thru waivers. The FO has to prioritize hiring MLB talent and dropping the fringe with low ceilings. 

[Andy MacPhail]

4 free agents are gone, if we want any of them later, we can bid on them. Anybody good with options we keep, anybody without options will have to be really good or we can trade.

[S Bart]

36 minutes ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Bell and Rogers should be gone. We need a C and Jeffers is the best available. Im trying hard to keep him in Mn. We need a good LH Relief pitcher and Minter did well. I'd be open to a reunion to fill the lefty reliever role. 

Abel and Lopez arent going anywhere. I like Banda, but he wont be available until atleast July. I could go either way with him. Festa has had so many injuries, but showed potential. I'd be very surprised if they let him go, though. Paredes performed well when asked and he can still be shuttles back and forth from st paul. I'd say hes a keeper. Sands should be gone. 

Acton and Orze can go for sure. Anderson had good results. I'd bring him back as an option to get shuttled back and forth. Raya I dont have an answer for. Maybe he can be included in a trade or keep him in AAA and see if he can turn a corner. 

Ross has potential to be a back up utility guy. Sabato is probably gone. Wallner is probably gone, although I do like his bat when its working. Problem is our DH spot isnt available, so there isnt a place for him. Larnach and Lewis should both be gone. Please rid us of those headaches. I dont see a spot for Martin, either. We have 5 OFers that are better and expected to fill out the roster. Barring a trade, I'd assume hes gone, too. 

Just cleared a ton of spots. A lot of these guys only had value because they could be shuttled back and forth as needed. Without that ability, its time to move on. 

[tony&rodney]

Not sure why this is a concern. 46-4 FA=42 bodies. Without even looking at the pitchers we can subtract Gray, Sabato, and Wallner = 39. Others will be dropped as well. If the front office shows up for work in November, there should be several trades and a couple of free agent signings. Nobody will be groaning at the players cut loose to accommodate the 40 person roster.

[S Bart]

Bell. Minter, Jeffers, and Rogers are free agents. Don't need to worry about dropping them...they will get better salary offers with other teams and will leave willingly (yes...even Rogers). Wallner will go the way of Miranda. That will leave 1 player to drop. There will also be several trade possibilities...including possibly Lewis and Ryan.

[Jacksson]

EZ Roster Moves

[Rosterman]

Kriedler?? Orza? Who are the Rule 5 possibilities?

[darin617]

5 hours ago, bean5302 said:

46 guys on the 40 man right now.
4 potential free agents, but Zoll will bring back Bell so need to clear 3 spots.

I would drop all 4 pending free agents.
I would drop Banda, Parades and Sabato in a heartbeat.

That would put Minnesota at 39.

Parades is a very under-rated pitcher. He can start in a pinch and could be a good long option in the bullpen. 

With the looming lockout I highly doubt the Twins make any moves right away when free agency starts before the lock out. 

They could easily remove 10 players without blinking.

[darin617]

2 hours ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Bell and Rogers should be gone. We need a C and Jeffers is the best available. Im trying hard to keep him in Mn. We need a good LH Relief pitcher and Minter did well. I'd be open to a reunion to fill the lefty reliever role. 

Abel and Lopez arent going anywhere. I like Banda, but he wont be available until atleast July. I could go either way with him. Festa has had so many injuries, but showed potential. I'd be very surprised if they let him go, though. Paredes performed well when asked and he can still be shuttles back and forth from st paul. I'd say hes a keeper. Sands should be gone. 

Acton and Orze can go for sure. Anderson had good results. I'd bring him back as an option to get shuttled back and forth. Raya I dont have an answer for. Maybe he can be included in a trade or keep him in AAA and see if he can turn a corner. 

Ross has potential to be a back up utility guy. Sabato is probably gone. Wallner is probably gone, although I do like his bat when its working. Problem is our DH spot isnt available, so there isnt a place for him. Larnach and Lewis should both be gone. Please rid us of those headaches. I dont see a spot for Martin, either. We have 5 OFers that are better and expected to fill out the roster. Barring a trade, I'd assume hes gone, too. 

Just cleared a ton of spots. A lot of these guys only had value because they could be shuttled back and forth as needed. Without that ability, its time to move on. 

My issue with Minter is his price. Unless they pay up for a legit closer I don't want them spending 10m+ for a lefty.

[bean5302]

Yeah... Parades had a 4.87 K/9 last year. That's not playable. A 12.3% K rate and an 8.4% BB rate. He's MiLB roster filler. Unlikely he'd get claimed, and if he did, no loss.

5.26 xERA, 5.66 FIP, 5.46 xFIP, a 5.32 SIERA. Well below average stuff, mediocre location.

But like every try hard nobody in the system, he has ardent fans convinced he's MLB material.

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, Danchat said:

Why DFA Paredes? He was a reasonably fine backend starter who is the perfect kind of guy to keep at AAA as he's got 3 option years.

There are more logical candidates like Orze, who's out of options and isn't good enough to be on the MLB roster.

Because Parades isn't an MLB caliber pitcher. Not by a LONG shot.

[mrguy]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Yeah... Parades had a 4.87 K/9 last year. That's not playable. A 12.3% K rate and an 8.4% BB rate. He's MiLB roster filler. Unlikely he'd get claimed, and if he did, no loss.

5.26 xERA, 5.66 FIP, 5.46 xFIP, a 5.32 SIERA. Well below average stuff, mediocre location.

But like every try hard nobody in the system, he has ardent fans convinced he's MLB material.

There's a very obvious argument he was called up way too early due to injuries, he only spent a month in AAA where his numbers actually were very good, his stuff was fine, and had results that could not have realistically carried over to MLB in such a short stretch(no shot a 5-1 K to BB rate where his sweeper somehow had a 40% chase with 50% whiff rate was going to hold, especially in a level higher), had no issues come up this year to need to dive deep into their depth, he probably would not have been up when he was, but probably could've been in the conversation if his numbers held. The thing is though with him on the roster and how short of a time he really had plus he still has all his options, it makes no sense to cut him when they can keep him in AAA and work on the elements he has that could potentially play. Way more choices that'd make sense to realistically move on from who had way more chances to prove whether or not they should be there

[Althebum82]

Orze and Acton have a history with our new pitching coach which may have an impact on their roster status good or bad.  Yes, Paredes was in over his head but who among us even knew he was part of the organization at this time last year?  Too early to give up on him.

I sure do hope that I have seen the last of Tristan Gray and, sadly, Matt Wallner.   

I also have lost all patience with Royce Lewis.

It is now a well-established fact that nobody else wants Alex Jackson.....but I suppose the Jeffers free agency sort of makes him for now more valuable on the roster than he is otherwise worth.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

8 hours ago, darin617 said:

My issue with Minter is his price. Unless they pay up for a legit closer I don't want them spending 10m+ for a lefty.

I agree and my hope is they pay up for a legit closer. The teams left in the playoffs all have high end BPs. We wont get far without one. 

[mikelink45]

For a team with our record over the last three seasons it should not be hard to clear a lot of room on the 40 -man.  What is important is adding and changing the formula going forward. 

[TownBall]

12 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

The Twins should not drop Marco Raya. But I guess they often do drop relievers like Raya with good pitches but needing one refinement that the Twins don't seem to find or make (Anderson, Cano, Headrick, Megill, Henriquez are a few recent examples) and another team will pick him up and turn him into a 1.5 WAR reliever.

I 100% agree with this. We've seen it happen one too many times, but I'd like to see Reith's influence on Raya to see if he's the guy who could push him that next step in his development.

[Maybebaby]

I really have no preference who goes.  We've seen where we ended up with them.  I am all in on seeing how we do without them.  Rebuild time with youngsters aka...the days of Hrbek, Puckett, Hunter, Gaetti, Gagne.........

[killercarewoliva]

16 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I can't imagine a scenario where Josh Bell is playing for the Minnesota Twins next season. Why do you think he will be back? He can't play 1b, and they have (at minimum) 5 outfielders once Buxton is healthy who can all get playing time.

IF he could play 1b, then that would make sense. Otherwise, I just can't see it.

96 rbi. Tony Oliva was too hurt to play outfield but no way he would be released due to offense value. 

[killercarewoliva]

14 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

The Twins should not drop Marco Raya. But I guess they often do drop relievers like Raya with good pitches but needing one refinement that the Twins don't seem to find or make (Anderson, Cano, Headrick, Megill, Henriquez are a few recent examples) and another team will pick him up and turn him into a 1.5 WAR reliever.

If we still had those guys....

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

5 minutes ago, killercarewoliva said:

If we still had those guys....

How would that even have been possible with a 40 man roster without losing all the other guys that needed to be on the roster? 

[killercarewoliva]

5 hours ago, Althebum82 said:

Orze and Acton have a history with our new pitching coach which may have an impact on their roster status good or bad.  Yes, Paredes was in over his head but who among us even knew he was part of the organization at this time last year?  Too early to give up on him.

I sure do hope that I have seen the last of Tristan Gray and, sadly, Matt Wallner.   

I also have lost all patience with Royce Lewis.

It is now a well-established fact that nobody else wants Alex Jackson.....but I suppose the Jeffers free agency sort of makes him for now more valuable on the roster than he is otherwise worth.

Jackson great attitude good catcher hit .300 last year no Jeffers not bad to fall back on.