JBK’s 2027 Payroll Blueprint:

[JBK]

• C: Ryan Jeffers ($21.25M)
• 1B: Kody Clemens ($0.95M)
• 2B: Luis Arraez ($12.00M)
• 3B: Brooks Lee ($0.95M)
• SS: Kaelen Culepper ($0.85M)
• LF: Emmanuel Rodriguez ($0.85M)
• CF: Walker Jenkins ($0.85M)
• RF: Luke Keaschall ($0.95M)
• DH: Byron Buxton ($15.00M)
• 4th OF: Alan Roden ($0.85M)
• Utility: Austin Martin ($0.85M)
• Utility: Royce Lewis ($3.5M)
• Backup C: Victor Caratini ($7.00M)
• POS: Carlos Correa ($10.00M)
• SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.75M)
• SP2: Joe Ryan ($10.3M)
• SP3: Connor Prielipp ($0.85M)
• SP4: Dean Kremer ($6.40M)
• SP5: Taj Bradley ($0.85M)
• RP: Yoendrys Gomez ($0.85M)
• RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.85M)
• RP: Mick Abel ($0.85M)
• RP: AJ Minter ($12.00M)
• RP: Tommy Nance ($5.00M)
• RP: Zebby Mathews ($0.85M)
• RP: Jeff Hoffman ($12.67M)
• RP: Andrew Morris ($0.85M)
• POS: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M)

Payroll is 9.95% over budget

[JBK]

Can't get them under budget unless they let Jeffers go and they don't sign a top FA.

[strumdatjag]

If Jeffers is signed, then would you have the Twins trade away Vahn Lackey and maybe more of our abundant catching prospects?    Your proposed roster is short-sighted.    2027 is a season which will probably be marred by labor strife.  The Twins should be focused on 2028 instead, expecting one of their top catching prospects to be the #1 guy at that position.  
Make a qualifying offer / Let Ryan Jeffers reject it / bag another draft pick - focus on 2028 and beyond. 

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, strumdatjag said:

If Jeffers is signed, then would you have the Twins trade away Vahn Lackey and maybe more of our abundant catching prospects?    Your proposed roster is short-sighted.    2027 is a season which will probably be marred by labor strife.  The Twins should be focused on 2028 instead, expecting one of their top catching prospects to be the #1 guy at that position.  
Make a qualifying offer / Let Ryan Jeffers reject it / bag another draft pick - focus on 2028 and beyond. 

All fair points, now put up your roster.

[Whammy]

1 hour ago, strumdatjag said:

If Jeffers is signed, then would you have the Twins trade away Vahn Lackey and maybe more of our abundant catching prospects?    Your proposed roster is short-sighted.    2027 is a season which will probably be marred by labor strife.  The Twins should be focused on 2028 instead, expecting one of their top catching prospects to be the #1 guy at that position.  
Make a qualifying offer / Let Ryan Jeffers reject it / bag another draft pick - focus on 2028 and beyond. 

You don't trade Lackey because catchers don't age well and assuming Jeffers will be a regular catcher for more than 2 more years is probably a bad assumption.

This is, of course, the exact reason why signing Jeffers to a 4/85 contract (which is what I think JBK has here) is a bad idea.

Could Jeffers still play catcher some and slide over to 1B once Lackey is ready? Yeah, probably. 

[strumdatjag]

On 11/2/2026 at 10:26 AM, tony&rodney said:

All fair points, now put up your roster.

Here is my roster for the probably lost MLB season of 2027.   Build for 2028, when it will matter!    I expect many of these players will be replaced by deserving prospects (Lackey, Houston, and more?) as the season progresses. 
 

C:  Victor Caratini

     Alex Jackson 

1B: Royce Lewis

2B: Kody Clemons 

3B: Brooks Lee 

SS: Kaelen Culpepper

UTL:  Ryan Kriedler 

          Cheap Free Agent or Waiver Claim

LF: Emmanuel Rodruguez

CF: Byron Buxton

RF:  Walker Jenkins 

Reserve OF: Alan Roden or Austin Martin

DH/Reserve OF/IF: Luke Keashall

Starting Pitcher:

Taj Bradley

Pablo Lopez

Joe Ryan 

Connie Prielipp 

Dean Kremer

Bullpen:

Jeff Hoffman

Andrew Morris 

AJ Minter

Yoendrys Gomez 

Mick Abel

Tommy Nance 

Zebby Matthews, Cole Sands, Bailey Ober, or Anthony Banda or …   Pick 2 after competition!

There:  I posted my anemic roster, perfect for this abridged 2027 season. .  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tony&rodney]

4 minutes ago, strumdatjag said:

Here is my roster for the probably lost MLB season of 2027.   Build for 2028, when it will matter!    I expect many of these players will be replaced by deserving prospects (Lackey, Houston, and more?) as the season progresses. 
 

C:  Victor Caratini

     Alex Jackson 

1B: Royce Lewis

2B: Kody Clemons 

3B: Brooks Lee 

SS: Kaelen Culpepper

UTL:  Ryan Kriedler 

          Cheap Free Agent or Waiver Claim

LF: Emmanuel Rodruguez

CF: Byron Buxton

RF:  Walker Jenkins 

Reserve OF: Alan Roden or Austin Martin

DH/Reserve OF/IF: Luke Keashall

Starting Pitcher:

Taj Bradley

Pablo Lopez

Joe Ryan 

Connie Prielipp 

Dean Kremer

Bullpen:

Jeff Hoffman

Andrew Morris 

AJ Minter

Yoendrys Gomez 

Mick Abel

Tommy Nance 

Zebby Matthews, Cole Sands, Bailey Ober, or Anthony Banda or …   Pick 2 after competition!

There:  I posted my anemic roster, perfect for this abridged 2027 season. .  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I'm not seeing where the moves are listed that you proposed, only the outcome of the roster. Where do I find that?

Also, I think if these are the moves, I would prefer Austin Martin NOT on the roster and a different backup who can be a SS fill in. Martin to me here would be the 6th outfielder, and I don't see a backup SS on the bench.

[Riverbrian]

It's clean... it's simple. Rolling with the pitching with just Minter as the only significant signing. The pitching does have the potential to be good. 

Adding Arraez... thumps addition from me. I love watching him hit when he was one of us. Don't care about his SLG in his case. He makes things happen. 

Myself... I still want a king kong bat for this team... Just imagine: Keaschall, Arraez, Buxton, King Kong Bat, Clemens, Jeffers, Lee, Jenkins, Culpepper. The lineup starts getting a little longer. 

You'll need an infielder with SS capabilities. I wouldn't want to begin the season with no safety net for Culpepper. 

It's clean... I like it. 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Overall, I like the roster, but I really don't like moving Abel to the bullpen. His upside as a starter seems really high and he is still young enough where I think he needs to be given at least another year in the rotation before even thinking about moving him to the bullpen.