A Way-Too-Early Look at the 2026 Minnesota Twins Roster

I know, I know. This is months too early. There are still nearly 50 games left in the 2025 season. Free agents will be signed (probably). Trades will happen (almost certainly). Injuries will happen; it’s the Twins, after all. Prospects will emerge between now and then. There will be non-roster invitees who could make the club.

And yet, after the front office sold nearly 40% of the 26-man roster at the deadline, it’s time to dream on next season. Is this desperation? A fool’s errand, even? Yeah, maybe. But you know what? I’m not ready to stop caring about baseball for the year. Spring training is a long way off. Really, it’s just time to shift our focus to the future, when once again, anything is possible. This should, at least, be a helpful thought exercise to order our thoughts about the Twins and the changes to come.

Anyway, if the season began today, here’s what the roster could look like.

Starting Pitching

• Joe Ryan
• Pablo Lopez
• Zebby Matthews
• Taj Bradley
• Mick Abel

Bullpen

• David Festa
• Bailey Ober
• Simeon Woods Richardson
• Marco Raya
• Connor Prielipp
• Travis Adams
• Cole Sands
• Justin Topa
• Kody Funderburk

This group has some real upside. I’m guessing at which starters would actually be starters, and which would be in the bullpen. That’s part of the fun here, after the Twins traded for two more starters at the deadline despite being relatively flush already. This roster features 10 pitchers who are currently starters. Realistically, some of them would remain starters at Triple-A St. Paul.

But, it’s fair to wonder if some of them would be better suited to relief. Some (Zebby Matthews, David Festa, Simeon Woods Richardson, Taj Bradley) haven’t demonstrated the consistency or the performance to justify remaining starters. Others have workload or injury concerns (Raya and Prielipp). Certainly, at least a few of them will be converted. Still others (Bailey Ober, looking at you here) may be diminished to the point where relief is the only option to get serviceable results.

Lineup

• C - Ryan Jeffers
• 1B - Kody Clemens
• 2B - Luke Keaschall
• 3B - Royce Lewis
• SS - Kaelen Culpepper
• LF - Trevor Larnach
• CF - Byron Buxton
• RF - Emmanuel Rodriguez
• DH - Matt Wallner

Now, this is an exciting group of hitters, especially once Walker Jenkins is ready. He would slot into left field, taking over for Trevor Larnach, who has built a career out of being average. The biggest problem with the current core is that so few of the hitters, you know, hit. This group, though? I’m pretty confident that they could do some damage. They offer an intriguing blend of speed, power, athleticism, and versatility. Will they be stars immediately? Almost certainly not. But the talent and upside are there.

Bench

• 4th OF - Alan Roden
• UTIL IF - Brooks Lee
• Backup C - Patrick Winkel
• Backup CF - James Outman

This is an exciting group, too. Roden hasn't put it all together yet, but he was considered a solid prospect with the Jays. Lee looks more like a utility player than a starter at this point in his career. Outman is a legitimate center fielder, and an upgrade from DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Winkel can hit a bit, and despite not being a great catcher, he could make some sense as he hits lefty and would complement Jeffers.

Next men up:

• Kendry Rojas - LHP
• C.J. Culpepper - RHP
• Andrew Morris - RHP
• Cory Lewis - RHP
• Walker Jenkins - OF
• Gabriel Gonzalez - OF
• Hendry Mendez - OF
• Payton Eeles - IF
• Ricardo Olivar - C

There's a mix of high-upside and high-floor guys on that list. Gonzalez isn’t an amazing defender, but he has pop and hits for average. He can play all three outfield positions and would be a natural platoon mate for Larnach. Jenkins, if he can stay healthy, should be ready by mid-season at the latest. As top talent reaches the upper minors, it's a bit of a luxury to have this many more guys who have a chance to be MLB regulars.

As a 26-man roster, there are a few things to note.

First, that’s a lot of rookies—seven to start the season, with Rojas, Gonzalez, Jenkins, and a pitcher or three likely joining at some point. Any time that happens, there’s going to be a lot of variability. This team probably would be lucky to play .500 ball, and would probably be worse than that, but it would give guys some experience that would set them up for the future. Additionally, several of these guys probably aren’t ready to be handed full-time jobs. But, for this exercise, it is what it is.

Second, this roster could invite some interesting piggybacking situations, should the Twins choose to employ that sort of strategy. With so many starters, it’s fair to wonder what they could accomplish if they were going, say, once or even twice through the order. This season, Travis Adams was used in this manner quite frequently with St. Paul. Could the Twins expand that? If nothing else, it would be interesting.

Third, you will notice a handful of players left off this roster. I assume that if the Twins are playing for the future, they won’t benefit from seeing more of Edouard Julien, Jose Miranda, Mickey Gasper, and the sort of Quad-A players who have made up the back of the roster over the past couple of seasons. 

Fourth, I just want to reiterate: the Twins will certainly make some moves in the offseason. I wouldn’t be shocked to see them trade López or Ryan, and with 10 starters, they may actually be able to absorb the loss without a huge drop-off in results. On the hitting side, Larnach or Wallner could be moved, as well. Also, um, the Twins will need to spend some real money on free agents or trading for guys with significant salaries, or they would likely face a grievance from the MLBPA.

All that said, I would be kind of excited to see this team play. There’s a ton of talent in the upper minors, and many of them are at least close to being ready. Hopefully, the next core won’t be as much of a letdown as the current one has been.