26 Questions Facing the 26 Minnesota Twins on the 2025 Opening Day Roster

As the Minnesota Twins prepare for the 2025 season, each player on the projected 26-man Opening Day roster faces pivotal questions. Let's delve into these pressing inquiries:

Catchers:

• Ryan Jeffers: Can Jeffers seize the starting catcher role and provide consistent offensive production throughout the season?

The homegrown backstop is only under team control for two more seasons. He’s shown flashes of being one of the league’s best offensive catchers, but he needs to show more consistency at the plate in 2025. 

• Christian Vázquez: Will his defensive reputation make up for his offensive flaws? 

Vázquez is in the final year of his 3-year, $30-million deal. Twins pitchers have praised his game-calling throughout his tenure, and that's arguably the lone reason Minnesota didn’t trade him away this winter.

Infielders:

• Carlos Correa: Can he finally put his plantar fasciitis issues behind him?

Plantar fasciitis has severely hampered Correa over the last two seasons, compromising his effectiveness in 2023 and his availability in 2024. A healthy and productive Correa can be the difference in the Twins making or missing the playoffs. 

• Ty France: How will his transition to the Twins impact his offensive output?

France is filling some big shoes at first base after the departure of Carlos Santana. He’s been one of the team’s best hitters this spring, and the Twins hope that production continues throughout the regular season. 

• José Miranda: Is he poised to build upon his previous successes and emerge as a key offensive contributor this season?

Injuries to Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis will allow Miranda to prove himself in the team’s infield to start the year. Minnesota needs him to live up to the offensive upside he’s previously shown. 

• Edouard Julien: Can he secure a regular spot in the lineup?

Julien was a question mark to make the roster for most of the spring. Injuries to a handful of players have him on the team. Now, he must make the most of the opportunity. 

• Willi Castro: Can he recover from his poor performance in the second half of 2024?

Castro’s OPS dropped from .774 in the first half to .627 after the break. Many Twins struggled down the stretch, but Castro will be even more critical with the team’s infield injuries to start the year. 

• Mickey Gasper: Can his Triple-A success translate to the big-league level?

Gasper led Triple-A hitters in OPS (1.164) from June through August 2024, with a .396 average and a .509 OBP. He's shown the Twins his ability to spray the ball all over the field this spring. He's an interesting bench option for a team that needed more consistent contact in the second half of 2024. 

Outfielders:

• Byron Buxton: Can he play over 100 games for the second consecutive season?

Buxton was relatively healthy this winter, for the first time in over half a decade. He will never be an iron man, but the Twins can hope he matches his 2024 numbers. 

• Matt Wallner: Can he be successful as an unconventional leadoff hitter?

The Twins are set to give Wallner regular at-bats in the leadoff spot, which matches what some other teams have done in recent years. Wallner’s player type can be streaky, though, so it will be interesting to see how long the Twins stick with him at the top. 

• Trevor Larnach: Is he ready to take the next step in his development and become a consistent offensive threat?

Larnach was one of the Twins’ most consistent hitters in the second half of 2024, with an .811 OPS in 52 games. He will be 28 years old for the entire 2025 campaign, and it’s now or never for him to establish himself as a middle-of-the-order bat.  

• Harrison Bader: How will his excellent outfield defense influence the Twins' overall outfield dynamics?

Buxton’s health will significantly impact Bader’s usage this season. Buxton in center and Bader in a corner spot could make for one of the league’s best defensive outfield alignments, which will be especially important if the Twins turn to some younger pitchers and allow more balls in play this year than in 2024. 

• DaShawn Keirsey Jr.: How much playing time will he get this season?

Keirsey beat out Austin Martin for the team's final bench spot. He's third on the depth chart in center field behind Buxton and Bader. His playing time will be sparse for now, but he’s an intriguing defensive replacement.

Starting Pitchers:

• Pablo López: Can he avoid the first-half struggles from the last two seasons?

López has had tough first halves during his first two seasons in a Twins uniform, and this year, his spring training numbers were rough. There are a few areas for him to focus on, including rediscovering his sweeper and prioritizing his changeup. 

• Joe Ryan: Can he continue his upward trajectory and solidify his position as one of the league’s best starters?

Before a shoulder injury shut him down for the year, Ryan was arguably the Twins' best starting pitcher last season. Injuries have impacted him in the last two seasons, so it would be nice for him to get a full season under his belt in 2025. 

• Bailey Ober: Is he a dark horse for the AL Cy Young?

Ober and Ryan can both fit into this category, which is why the Twins have one of the top starting pitching trios in the AL. Ober has been prone to blowups, so calming things just a bit on those tough days could put him in the Cy Young conversation. 

• Chris Paddack: How will he look in his second year removed from a second Tommy John surgery?

The Twins could have traded Paddack this winter, but the front office wouldn’t give him away in a salary dump. Instead, Minnesota is betting on a more consistent performance from “The Sheriff” as he puts his second Tommy John surgery further in the rearview mirror.

• Simeon Woods Richardson: Can he avoid the dreaded sophomore slump?

Woods Richardson saved the Twins' starting rotation last year but ran out of gas in the second half. Plenty of other young pitchers at Triple A will be knocking down the door to the big leagues. To keep his job, Woods Richardson must hold his own and build off his rookie campaign. 

Relief Pitchers:

• Jhoan Durán: Can he adjust more successfully in his second season with diminished velocity?

Durán’s drop in velocity has been a talking point since last spring. However, there are multiple reasons to trust the team’s closer entering the 2025 season. 

• Griffin Jax: Will he get more opportunities to close?

If Durán does struggle, Jax will be the one to take over the closer role. He’s coming off a season wherein he was one of the AL’s top relievers. Now, it’s time for the encore. 

• Cole Sands: Can Sands be counted on as one of the team’s high-leverage arms?

At this point last season, Sands was an afterthought in the Twins' bullpen picture. He developed into one of the team’s most reliable bullpen options, but with relievers who lack elite stuff or long track records, there is always the worry of regression.

• Danny Coulombe: How will Coulombe be strategically used as the team’s top lefty?

Caleb Thielbar signed elsewhere in free agency, leaving the club searching for a reliable left-handed reliever. Over the last two seasons, Coulombe has posted a 2.56 ERA (156 ERA+) with a 0.95 WHIP and a 28.4% strikeout rate. The Twins are hoping for similar production.    

• Jorge Alcalá: Is he ready to harness his potential and deliver consistent relief performances?

Alcalá has a chance to be a breakout player for the Twins. The team’s usage of him last season was confusing at times, but there is a chance he is being trusted in some critical late-inning spots before the season ends.

• Justin Topa: What version of Topa will the Twins get in 2025?

Minnesota hoped Topa would be a critical bullpen arm last season after acquiring him as part of the Jorge Polanco trade. The Twins still have a chance to gain some value from the deal, if Topa can return to the form he showed in 2023 (152 ERA+, 21.9 K%). 

• Louis Varland: Will Varland's transition to a relief role mirror the team’s past successes?

Nearly every great reliever in Twins history began their bullpen transition after failing as a starter (e.g., Griffin Jax, Taylor Rogers, Glen Perkins, etc.). Minnesota has high hopes for Varland as a reliever, and now they can set him loose on the AL Central. 

• Randy Dobnak: How long can he stick at the big-league level?

Dobnak made his triumphant return to the Twins last season after spending multiple seasons dealing with a finger issue. Last season, he limited batters to a .395 SLG and a .739 OPS, 24 points lower than the league average in a hitter-friendly league. He can provide length in the season's early weeks, but when the team's injured relievers get healthy, will Dobnak be the first casualty? Even if (or when) he's moved off the active roster, can he stick on the 40-man roster this time?

These questions highlight the critical factors that could influence the Twins' success in the upcoming season. Fans and analysts alike will keenly observe how these narratives unfold in the season's early months.

Which question is most critical to the team's success this season? Leave a comment and start the discussion.