Where Are They Now? (Recent Former Twins Edition)

Every season, the roster turns over a little more, and suddenly the familiar faces that once filled Target Field are scattered across the baseball map. But the whirlwind of the 2025 trade deadline sped that process up in a hurry, sending a wave of Twins to new homes and adding even more names to the “where are they now?” file. Some are thriving in new roles, some are hanging on in unexpected places, and a few might make you do a double take when you see the uniform they’re wearing now. So where did they all go? From former fan favorites to short-term contributors you may have forgotten, here’s a look at where ex-Twins have landed in 2026.

Starting Pitchers
Jose Berrios, traded to the Blue Jays for Simeon Woods Richardson and Austin Martin back in July 2021, is currently rehabbing an elbow injury in Single-A Dunedin. With two rehab starts now under his belt, he will look to get back in Toronto soon and help the Jays push for a World Series appearance once again.

Sonny Gray lasted two years in Minnesota, earning an all-star nod with the team in 2023, and this offseason the 36-year-old was traded from St. Louis to Boston. He has made five starts so far, pitching to a 4.30 ERA (4.49 FIP) with 13 strikeouts in 23 innings. Gray is a middle of the rotation arm for the Red Sox behind ace Garrett Crochet and will look to keep up his success from his two years with the Cardinals. He just went on the Injured List this week. 

Chris Paddack, traded to the Tigers near the deadline last year for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez, signed with the Marlins this offseason and is a back end of the rotation arm for them. The Sheriff has pitched in five games this year and has a 6.38 ERA (4.64 FIP). He currently leads the majors in losses with four.

Zack Littell left the Twins organization in 2020 and has bounced around before making a playoff start for the Reds last year. He waited a long time to receive a major-league deal this winter, eventually signing a one-year deal with Washington in March. He is off to a rough start, giving up a league-leading 11 home runs with a 7.56 ERA (8.62 FIP).

Randy Dobnak was a fan favorite in Minnesota for many years and even started a playoff game at Yankee Stadium. He was also traded with Paddack to the Tigers and became a free agent at the end of last season. He quickly signed a minor league contract with the Mariners. He is currently in Triple-A Tacoma, where he has started five games with a 6.00 ERA over 24 innings of work.

Relief Pitchers 
A few relievers from last year’s team lead the way here, with two of them having great success with their new teams so far. Louis Varland hasn’t given up an earned run with the Blue Jays yet in 2026 (0.00 ERA, 0.92 FIP in 13 innings), and Jhoan Duran has pitched masterfully in Philadelphia, saving five games while posting a 1.35 ERA (0.75 FIP). However, he is currently on the injured list with an oblique injury. 

The flip side of those deadline bullpen deals from Deadline 2025 would be Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart. Jax has struggled with the Rays so far in 2026, possessing an 8.00 ERA (7.59 FIP) in nine innings so far. As for Stewart, he pitched in four games for the Dodgers last season before suffering a right shoulder injury that sidelined him the rest of 2025 and has continued into 2026 so far. Stewart began a rehab assignment with Single-A Ontario about a week ago, so he will look to make a difference at the big-league level again soon.

As for other former Twins in bullpens across the league, Caleb Thielbar is pitching well in his second season with the Cubs. Emilio Pagan has been with the Reds for three seasons, saving 32 games for them in 2025 with six already this season. Jorge Alcala pitched for the Twins, Red Sox, and Cardinals in 2025, but with his struggles he now resides in the Blue Jays minor league system with Triple-A Buffalo. Finally, Steven Okert wasn’t great for the Twins when he was acquired for Nick Gordon back in 2024. The now 34-year-old was solid for the Astros last season and is off to a good start yet again with a 3.00 ERA (3.98 FIP) in 12 innings so far.

Catchers
One of the Twins’ primary catchers the past three seasons, Christian Vazquez rejoined the Houston Astros, the team he was traded to at the 2022 trade deadline. Vazquez serves as the backup to Yainer Diaz and is hitting great to start the year, slashing .343/.425/.629 with two home runs (one less than he had all last year in Minnesota) in 41 plate appearances.

Acquired in the Josh Donaldson deal, Gary Sanchez has been a member of the Mets, Padres, Brewers, and Orioles, and currently is the backup to William Contreras in Milwaukee. Sanchez is raking to start the year, hitting .216/.,385/.569 with five home runs in 65 plate appearances. Sanchez is walking more as well, providing lots of value for an injured Brewers squad.

A member of the 2019 “Bomba Squad”, Mitch Garver was traded in 2022 to the Rangers for Ronny Henriquez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Garver spent two seasons with Texas (where he won a World Series ring) before going to the Mariners where he remains the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. Garver hit .209/.297/.343 with nine home runs in 290 plate appearances in 2025 and will look to contribute meaningfully to a Mariners team that should be pushing for the World Series.

Other former Twins catching out there are Mickey Gasper, currently in the Red Sox organization at Triple-A Worcester, and Jhonny Pereda, who is with the Mariners in Triple-A Tacoma.

Infielders 
Carlos Correa leads the way here. Back where he belongs in Houston, Correa is slashing .284/.366/.386 in 101 plate appearances in 2026 and will look to turn the Astros around as they are currently in last place in the A.L. West after missing the playoffs last year.

A return to form for Jorge Polanco was a welcomed sign for Mariner fans in 2025, and his .821 OPS earned a new shiny deal with the Mets for 2026. Polanco isn’t off to a great start in the Big Apple, slashing .179/.246/.286 in 61 plate appearances so far. He is on the IL and missed this week's series with the Twins. 

After two years with the Twins, Kyle Farmer went to the Rockies for the 2025 season and is now with his home-state Atlanta Braves. A bench middle infielder at this point in his career, Farmer slashed .227/.280/.365 with Colorado last year and will look to help a Braves team that appears to be one of the best in baseball early in 2026.

A foursome of former Twin first baseman are still bouncing around the league. Carlos Santana is on the D-Backs now with his best offensive days well behind him. Ty France is on the major league roster for the Padres, with Jose Miranda in the same organization but with Triple-A El Paso. A surprising name to many would be Tyler Austin, who is back in MLB after 5 seasons in Japan. Austin signed a major league deal with the Cubs over the offseason but has yet to appear due to a right knee injury.

Last but certainly not least, Alex Kirilloff is now on to real estate due to his numerous injuries over his time with the Twins. A once top prospect, it seems Kirilloff is now living his best life as a real estate agent in Florida, and all Twins fans should be happy for a guy who consistently put his body on the line to compete for our club.

Outfielders
Harrison Bader was a member of the vast group leaving the Twins at the deadline last year, dealt to the Phillies to bolster their outfield. Now in San Francisco, Bader isn’t having the offensive success so far that he had with the Twins and Phillies last year, slashing .115/.145/.192 in 55 plate appearances.

As for other former Twins in the outfield, there aren’t many. Max Kepler hit poorly for the Phillies last season, and the now free agent was handed an 80-game suspension back in January for using a performance enhancing substance.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. made his way to the Braves organization, currently slashing .206/.236/.353 in Triple-A Gwinnett.

Michael A. Taylor filled in admirably for Byron Buxton in 2023, and after spending 2024 with the Pirates and 2025 with the White Sox officially retired this offseason. He reunited with the Twins as an outfield coach, spending time with the big-league club in Spring Training and will travel to the minor league affiliates during the 2026 season. Former reliever Ryan Pressly did the same thing this spring, retiring from the game and then joining the Twins organization as a roving instructor

Looking across the league, the 2026 baseball landscape has familiar names popping up in new places, each with their own winding path since leaving Minnesota. The frenzy of the 2025 deadline only accelerated that movement, reshuffling the Twins’ roster a ton. Some of these players are still making an impact on contenders, others are grinding through injuries or Triple-A stops, and a few have already moved on to life beyond the game. Together, they tell the story of how quickly things change in baseball, especially in Minnesota, and how a roster, no matter how memorable, is always just moving along.