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The Minnesota Twins enter this offseason in a familiar position. They are talented enough to compete, but flawed enough that one wrong decision could send them tumbling out of contention for the third consecutive season. After an uneven 2025 season, it is clear that the front office needs a coherent plan to put this roster back on track.
It can be easy for fans to say, "Go sign Kyle Tucker or Kyle Schwarber to long-term deals," but those aren’t realistic; Minnesota’s owner-imposed budgetary constraints foreclose those options. Instead, the Twins must work on the margins and find success on a razor-thin line. Last year, they signed Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe to deals that worked out in the team's favor. Now, the Twins might have even less financial flexibility with which to work.
Here are five steps the Twins could take to push toward contending again next year.
Step One: Keep Pablo López and Joe Ryan
The blueprint for winning baseball in Minnesota starts with pitching that can match up with anyone in the league. For the Twins, that conversation begins with Pablo López and Joe Ryan. Both pitchers have established themselves as playoff-caliber starters who can carry the club through rough stretches.
Last season, Ryan was a first-time All-Star. He posted career highs in rWAR (4.5) and ERA+ (125), and his four-seam fastball was its usual, excellent self, worth 1.3 runs above average per 100 thrown. López was limited to 14 starts due to hamstring and shoulder injuries, but posted a 156 ERA+ across 75 2/3 innings. The Twins can hope that a healthy López is back to being a workhorse in 2026, after he averaged over 185 innings per season from 2022-24.
Moving either hurler would create a hole that the Twins have no realistic path to filling. With a solid foundation already in place, Minnesota should stay the course and let its rotation leaders continue to set the tone.
Step Two: Sign Paul Goldschmidt
Minnesota has leaned on a revolving door of veteran first basemen in recent years, and bringing in Goldschmidt would extend that trend. Ty France, Carlos Santana, and Donovan Solano were recent one-year solutions at first, but Goldschmidt is a different level of player. He is no longer the intimidating MVP threat he once was, but he remains a dependable defender and a disciplined hitter. Last season, he played 146 games for the Yankees and posted a .731 OPS and a 104 OPS+.
Diamond Centric predicts that he will sign a one-year, $6-million contract that should be in Minnesota's budget. His ability to lengthen the batting order and provide clubhouse leadership could make him an ideal short-term addition. The Twins can hope that he has one final impact season left, and that his bat brings needed balance to the middle of the lineup.
Step Three: Re-Sign Caleb Thielbar
The bullpen has become a major offseason concern after last season’s trade deadline, and adding stability should be a priority. Thielbar has meant a great deal to the organization, and he remains an effective option when healthy. Minnesota let him leave in free agency last season, and he continued to show value with the Cubs. In 67 appearances (58 IP), he posted a 2.64 ERA (147 ERA+) with a 25.5% strikeout rate and a 5.9% walk rate. More importantly, he held lefties to a .161/.211/.276 line in 95 plate appearances.
Bringing him back would add needed experience to a relief corps that lacks established late-inning arms. The market for a 39-year-old reliever will likely be muted. His presence alone will not fix the bullpen, but it would give the Twins a known quantity who can bridge the gap while other roles are sorted out.
Step Four: Transition a Trio of Young Starters to Relief Roles
The Twins have invested heavily in young pitching, but injuries have slowed the development of several promising arms. Marco Raya, Connor Prielipp, and Zebby Matthews all offer interesting starting pitcher traits, but their health histories raise fundamental questions about their long-term durability.
Raya has seemed destined for a bullpen role for a couple of seasons, with the Twins tightly managing his workload while aggressively promoting him. Last season at Triple-A St. Paul, he posted a 6.02 ERA with a 22.6% strikeout rate and a 12.6% walk rate. Prielipp finally had a healthy season, including pitching at Double-A Wichita and for St. Paul. The Twins may want to give him one more season to be a starter, but they went through a similar transformation with Jhoan Duran. Like Prielipp, Duran dealt with injuries in the minors before the team decided to let him cook in the bullpen.
Matthews might have the most straightforward path to a bullpen role. He’s already seen a velocity increase since joining the Twins. His four-seamer and slider could be his primary offerings in the bullpen, while dumping his other pitches. A spring training move to the pen could give Minnesota a wave of high-upside relief help while lowering injury risk. Shorter outings could unlock additional velocity and give the relief corps the swing-and-miss capability that was often missing last season.
Step Five: Give Emmanuel Rodriguez an Opening Day Job
The Twins need an offensive spark, and Rodriguez fits the profile of a player ready to provide it. His minor-league résumé shows patience, power, and the ability to change the game on both sides of the runs ledger. He showcased all these skills during the Dominican Winter League, including winning the All-Star Game MVP. Rodriguez has little left to prove in the minors, and Minnesota should give him the chance to grow at the major-league level from Day One.
Unfortunately, Minnesota’s outfield depth chart is filled with other left-handed bats, including Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, James Outman, and Alan Roden. Minnesota would need to trade one or more of these players to move Rodriguez onto the 26-man roster. Walker Jenkins might be the higher-ranked prospect, but expecting him to be ready by Opening Day feels premature. Rodriguez brings upside and urgency to a lineup that needs both.
Minnesota has the pieces to build a contender in 2026. By keeping their rotation intact, adding targeted veterans, infusing the bullpen with young talent, and trusting a high-ceiling bat, the Twins can chart a clear and competitive path forward.
What would you realistically change about this offseason plan? Leave a comment and start the discussion.
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