Twins’ Biggest Areas of Need Heading Into 2026-2027 Offseason

Though one final series remains, the Twins' season is effectively over. They enter the last three games 75-84, assured of a losing record but already better than they were in 2025. Now feels like a safe moment to look beyond a deflating finish to 2026 and toward 2027. Believe it or not, this roster is not perfect. There are several areas of need the Twins will have to address this offseason if they want to turn themselves into a playoff team next season. Which are the biggest, though?

There are multiple positions you could make an argument for, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the biggest need is the bullpen. Coming into the season, it was glaringly obvious that the bullpen was going to be the weakest part of the Twins’ roster. Even after the team made some additions at the trade deadline, it wasn’t exactly a strength. That’s especially concerning heading into the offseason. A.J. Minter and Taylor Rogers are both free agents after this season, which could leave the Twins with an even bigger need for good left-handed relief help. While replacing those two would certainly be important, let’s be real here: this is a bullpen that would have needed improving even if we knew everyone was going to be back.

The Twins failed to adequately address the bullpen coming into 2026; they can’t afford to make the same mistake again. If they want to compete for a playoff spot next season, adding legitimate major-league arms to the bullpen should be one of the first things on their offseason checklist.

After the bullpen, the next-biggest need is catcher. That comes with an asterisk, because if Ryan Jeffers is back next season, the position will effectively be solved. That almost certainly will not happen, though, so the Twins need to start thinking about what comes next behind the plate. Right now, Victor Caratini is the only big-league catcher in the organization, and he didn't look like a viable regular this season. Ideally, he'd have a smaller role in 2027, not a larger one.

Unfortunately, the free-agent market doesn’t offer an obvious solution. The best catcher available this winter will be Jeffers, and it’s not particularly close. If he does leave Minnesota, the Twins probably aren’t going to find a strong replacement in free agency. A trade could be the better way to address the position. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Catchers with legitimate major-league ability aren’t easy to find, and the Twins would have to give up something of value to acquire one. But until one of the organization’s catching prospects is ready to take over, they need to find an upgrade over Caratini.

Finally, the team should be hunting for a first baseman. There are a few different ways they could approach this position, but none of them are ideal. Royce Lewis doesn't hit enough for that spot. Josh Bell is an impending free agent whom the team didn't trust to man the position, anyway. The Twins could move Kody Clemens or Luke Keaschall over there, but that would put real pressure on Clemens's bat and nullify his valuable versatility, and it would waste what few tools Keaschall has working for him on defense.

Lewis might remain entrenched. With a full offseason to get acclimated to first base, he might take a significant step forward defensively, where he's already lookws like a plus receiver of throws and just needs to sand off some rough edges. The bigger question is whether he'll also hit enough next year to justify full-time play at any spot, let alone an offense-first one.

Adding some legitimate help at first base would go a long way toward improving the Twins’ lineup. More importantly, it would allow Minnesota to keep players Clemens and Keaschall in more valuable defensive roles, instead of asking them to fill a position simply because there’s a hole there. If they're proactive about it, they can even leverage the arrival of a better player at that spot by non-tendering or trading Lewis, gaining roster and payroll flexibility.

The Twins have plenty of work to do this offseason, but these three areas stand out. None of these problems are going to be particularly easy to solve. But after watching the weaknesses of this roster become increasingly obvious throughout 2026, the Twins can’t afford to simply hope they fix themselves in 2027.

Are you optimistic about the Twins right now?

Are you optimistic about the Twins right now?

• Are you optimistic about the Twins right now? Required
  

  
• Save

See All Twins Polls >