Five Players on the 40-Man Roster Most Likely to be DFA'd If the Twins Need to Clear Space This Offseason

Entering the offseason, the Minnesota Twins had five spots open on their 40-man roster. Almost immediately, two of those spots were wisely given to right-handed pitching prospects Marco Raya and Travis Adams, to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. The front office then partook in the Rule 5 Draft, selecting Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitching prospect Eiberson Castellano, leaving the team with only two spots left. Soon thereafter, the club used their final two roster spots to acquire high-upside depth pieces, in utility infielder Mickey Gasper and once-highly-touted catching prospect Diego Cartaya.

If Christian Vázquez ($10 million), Chris Paddack ($7.5 million), or another pricey veteran player are moved in the next couple of weeks, the club will have the salary space necessary to make one or two positive moves to bolster their big-league roster. Obviously, if the team moves Vázquez, Paddack, or a different veteran to create salary space, a 40-man roster space will open with their departure. That said, the front office would be wise to bring players on MLB deals in three position groups: First base, right-handed hitting outfielder, and left-handed reliever. The team could find themselves in a win-win situation by signing a player like Mark Canha, who hits right-handed and can play first base and both corner outfield spots. That said, an ideal offseason would include the team bringing in a position player and left-handed reliever.

That being the case, team decision-makers will likely need to make a 40-man roster crunch at some point this offseason. Here are the players most likely to be the odd one out in that hypothetical scenario:

#5 - Mickey Gasper
Gasper is one of the more recent additions to the 40-man roster. Acquired in a trade that sent left-handed reliever Jovani Morán to the Boston Red Sox, Gasper provides flexibility as a utility infielder who could play first, second, or third base while functioning as an emergency catcher. The 29-year-old will likely factor most into the first-base mix, as the organization's depth is weak at the position. They carry only José Miranda, Edouard Julien, and minor-league signee Mike Ford.

As noted earlier, if the club can manufacture salary space, they will likely prioritize spending a significant portion of that money on a player who can play first base. Canha, Justin Turner, and Ty France are fascinating veteran options who could be acquired cheaply. If Minnesota were to acquire one of these bats, Gasper could be the odd player out. That said, the team values Gasper beyond first base, and with FanGraphs projecting him to produce an above-average 109 wRC+ next season, the front office will likely prioritize keeping his switch-hitting bat, unless and until an unexpected opportunity arises.

#4 - Michael Helman
Added to the 40-man roster in early Sept. 2024, Helman could be one of the players most at risk of being cut if the front office finds itself in a crunch. A long-time fan favorite, the 28-year-old utility player made his major-league debut after a wave of injuries hampered the Twins' position-player depth late last season. Helman performed well in his brief stint, generating three hits in his 10 plate appearances with the team, with two of them being doubles. He also provided the defensive flexibility necessary for the team to survive the end of the season, logging innings at third base, centerfield, left field, and right field.

Helman also spent significant time at shortstop and second base at Triple-A and is skilled enough to play those positions in the majors if needed. He could step into the Kyle Farmer role in 2025, while also being able to play all three outfield spots. That said, fellow borderline 26-man roster players like Austin Martin, Edouard Julien, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., and the aforementioned Gasper are seemingly ahead of Helman at their respective positions, potentially making him expendable. Still, multiple players are likelier to be cut loose over Helman, making him a near-lock to inhabit a 40-man roster to begin the 2025 MLB season.

#3 - Ronny Henriquez
Acquired alongside Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the trade that sent Mitch Garver to Texas, Henriquez is entering his fourth season in the Twins organization. The 24-year-old righty impressed in 19 1/3 innings pitched last season, posting a 3.26 ERA, 4.05 FIP, and 18.3% strikeout rate. Henriquez could begin the 2025 season at Triple-A St. Paul as a primary right-handed relief depth option—except, he is out of minor-league options, meaning he would need to make the initial eight-pitcher bullpen out of Spring Training if the front office wanted to guarantee he stays with them to begin the 2025 MLB season.

The Twins are rich in right-handed relief depth, with medium- to low-leverage arms like Michael Tonkin, Justin Topa, Louie Varland, and Castellano seemingly slotted ahead of Henriquez on the right-handed reliever depth chart. Adams is also an option, although the organization might use him as a starting pitcher to begin the season and he has options. Driven by his above-average changeup, Henriquez is a fascinating reliever who could blossom into a bona fide high-leverage reliever at the major-league level. That said, team decision-makers could reasonably elect to part ways with a player toward the bottom of the depth chart of a position group rich with depth.

#2 - Matt Canterino
Drafted in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Canterino has long existed more as a theory than as a person. Despite possessing high-end stuff and a formidable three-pitch mix, the 27-year-old has yet to make his MLB debut due to a series of arm injuries. If Canterino were fortunate enough to stay healthy long enough to make his debut, he could theoretically blossom into a high-leverage reliever who could complement arms like Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, and Jorge Alcalá in the back of the bullpen. That said, nothing can be counted on regarding Canterino's health, and it is reasonable to suspect his injuries have diminished the arm talent he once possessed.

As noted earlier, the Twins have oodles of right-handed reliever depth ready to perform in the majors. Tonkin, Topa, Henriquez, Varland, and Castellano all rank above Canterino on the team's right-handed reliever hierarchy, leaving him little room for opportunity. If healthy and performing at his peak, Canterino is likely a more skilled pitcher than the six pitchers previously mentioned. However, there is reason to suspect his window is closing, if it hasn't closed already. If the team were to find itself in a 40-man roster crunch, risking losing the oft-injured Canterino on the waiver wire in favor of keeping more reliable MLB-caliber arms would be reasonable, even if his theoretical ceiling is still high.

#1 - Jair Camargo
Last offseason, Camargo was added to the 40-man roster to avoid him potentially getting nabbed in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. The 25-year-old backstop maintained a spot on the organization's 40-man roster throughout the 2024 MLB season. However, he netted only six at-bats with the parent club last season, primarily due to catching tandem Ryan Jeffers and Vázquez not spending a single game on the injured list. Camargo entered the offseason as the team's third catching option. The acquisition of Cartaya changes things entirely.

Earlier this offseason, the idea of Minnesota parting ways with Vázquez appeared inevitable. However, a recent report from The Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale may suggest otherwise. If the team only needs to trade away Paddack to clear up the space necessary to make moves, meaning Vázquez could play out the entirety of his three-year, $30 million contract with Minnesota, Camargo's spot on the 40-man roster becomes increasingly tenuous.

Camargo sits behind Jeffers, Vázquez, and Cartaya on the organization's catching depth chart. Patrick Winkel (Camargo's catching partner at Triple-A last season) performed similarly to Camargo at the plate while demonstrating a more robust defensive profile. Evidently, after acquiring Cartaya, Minnesota has a surplus of organizational catching depth. If they don't part ways with Vázquez, the team should feel comfortable risking losing Camargo on waivers, as Cartaya and Winkel provide adequate depth at Triple-A.