Matthew Lenz

Derek Shelton continues to put his own touch on the Minnesota Twins' coaching staff. Since he's taken the role of manager, Shelton has named a new hitting coach, bench coach, bullpen coach, first base coach, and field coordinator. Recently, he made another addition to the coaching staff by bringing in someone who recently played for the club. Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the Minnesota Twins are hiring Michael A. Taylor as the team's Outfield Instructor. Michael A. Taylor retired following the 2025 season after a 12-year career with five different clubs, most recently with the Chicago White Sox. For what Taylor lacked in offense (a career 79+ OPS), he made up for in his outfield defense. Throughout his career, Taylor was known as an elite glove-first center fielder, which is evident by being a three-time Rawlings Gold Glove finalist and the award in 2021. It's likely he would have received recognition (and hardware) if his bat had allowed him to stay in the lineup more regularly. Regardless, Taylor will shift from patrolling the outfield to patrolling the outfielders with the Twins in 2025. A role that he seems perfectly suited for, given the 62 Outs Above Average (OAA) he accrued in the Statcast era. Do you think Taylor can help strengthen the outfield defense, particularly when it comes to Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach? Let us know in the comments! View full rumor

The Minnesota Twins have gotten off to an unsurprisingly slow start in the offseason. To this point, their most notable move is tendering a contract to Trevor Larnach, who many thought might be non-tendered. However, this morning, Jeff Passan of ESPN ignited the burner on the hot stove with an update on Byron Buxton. In ranking the players who could be traded, Passan ranked Buxton as the fifth-best player behind Tarik Skubal, Ketel Marte, Freddy Peralta, and Hunter Green. Passan added, "Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause - and not just for Atlanta..." To this point, Buxton has not stated anything publicly to confirm or deny this report. If it's true, this is a notable shift in Buxton's mindset, who, on multiple occasions, has said he wants to stay with the Twins. However, at the back end of his prime and with the state of the organization, it's hard to blame him for the change. Buxton, coming off a career year, played in 126 games in 2025. He finished with 35 home runs, 97 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. He posted an impressive .878 OPS, a .367 wOBA, and a 135 wRC+. Defensively, Buxton is starting to slow down in center field with -5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and +3 Outs Above Average (OAA). Do you think the Twins should trade Buxton? Let us know in the comments! View full rumor

The Minnesota Twins' direction this offseason has been unclear to this point. From Derek Falvey's quote suggesting the team wants to build around its nucleus to rumors suggesting the Twins could continue their trade-deadline fire sale this offseason, it has left fans wondering about the organization's direction. In a recent column in the NY Post from Joel Sherman, the offseason got a little murkier. Though he didn't say the Twins are actively shopping either pitcher, he suggested the Twins are "more likely" to move Pablo Lopez than Joe Ryan. Lopez, who is owed more than $43 million through 2027, only made 14 starts in 2025. In 75 2/3 innings, the righty sported a solid 3.19 FIP and mediocre 17% K-BB rate. While he had been one of the game's more durable pitchers before last season, his tenure with the Twins has been very up and down. While trading the 30-year-old at some point seems likely, Lopez's value right now is lower than it's ever been. While the Twins are more concerned with the bottom line than maximizing value, they would be remiss to deal the righty now instead of waiting until the 2026 trade deadline. Do you think now is the time to move on from Lopez? Let us know in the comments! View full rumor

Derek Shelton, hired earlier in the week, has made his first move as Minnesota Twins manager locking down the teams new bullpen coach. Dan Hayes of The Athletic is reporting that the teams are naming LaTroy Hawkins for the role. There may be no one more qualified for the role as Hawkins pitched across 21 major league seasons, accumulating 944 career relief appearances. Initially a starting pitcher with the Twins, he transitioned to the bullpen permanently in 2000. Hawkins recorded 127 career saves with 11 different teams in his career. Given his longevity, he filled many different bullpen roles in his career, most notably finding success in a setup role. Since retiring following the 2015 season, Hawkins is stayed busy in professional baseball. He served as a special assistant in the Twins' front office in 2016 and had maintained that role through the 2025 season. He has taken on coaching roles with USA Baseball, including serving as the pitching coach for the 18U National Team in 2023. Additionally, he has been a part-time analyst for Twins television broadcasts since 2017. What do you think of the hire? Let us know in the comments! View full rumor

The Boston Red Sox made a late trade deadline push to acquire Joe Ryan, to no avail. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic is already stoking the fire about a potential trade package for Ryan. Will they find a deal before Opening Day 2026? View full video

Whether new Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton planned to or not, he'll need to find a new bench coach for the 2026 season. Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic is reporting that the San Francisco Giants are hiring Minnesota Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler for the same position. It has not been reported whether Tingler has been informed that he was or was not going to return for 2026. It is also not known whether he was considered for the Twins' managerial vacancy. Before serving as the Twins' bench coach, Tingler managed the San Diego Padres for two seasons, leading them to a 116-106 record. In an article written by Megan Ryan of the Minnesota Star Tribune, he is described as "someone who, really, the key trait, what stood out the most, is who he is as a person, who he is as a leader, and how he goes about in helping players and staff and everyone around him" by Derek Falvey. Tingler and the new Giants manager, Tony Vitello, were college teammates at the University of Missouri and are "close friends", per Baggarly. That, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding his standing with Shelton and the Twins, likely explains the lateral move. How do you think the Twins will be impacted by his departure? Let us know what you think in the comments! View full rumor

As part of their massive fire sale, the Minnesota Twins traded superstar closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2025 trade deadline. In the deal, the Twins received a top 100 prospect in catcher Eduardo Tait and a former top 100 prospect in starting pitcher Mick Abel. Now, details are emerging about another offer that included a former top-100 prospect. Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media recently reported that the New York Yankees offered former top prospect Jasson Dominguez for Duran at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. He was part of a larger package, though the details of what else may have been included are not immediately available. Appearing in 145 games last season, Dominguez finished the year with 10 home runs, 58 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases. In all, he posted a .719 OPS, a .316 wOBA, and a 103 wRC+. Defensively, Dominguez proved to be a liability in the field, posting a -10 Outs Above Average (OAA) across 793 innings in left field. Do you think the Twins should have snagged Dominguez, or are you happy with the deal they got from the Phillies? Let us know in the comments! View full rumor

It's unclear how Derek Shelton will handle the various coaches who are still under contract with the Minnesota Twins, such as pitching coach Pete Maki and hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. However, the Miami Marlins made one decision for him by poaching a coach from the hitting staff. Christina De Nicola, who covers the Miami Marlins for MLB.com, is reporting that the team has hired Corbin Day, whose title was "advanced scout, run production" with the Minnesota Twins in 2025. Prior to his role with the big league club, Day was hired as the High-A Cedar Rapids hitting coach before being promoted to the Double-A Wichita staff. How do you think this will impact the Minnesota Twins moving forward? Share your thoughts in the comments! View full rumor

The Minnesota Twins have only $37 million in guaranteed contracts heading into the offseason. With 10 arbitration-eligible players, that leaves 28 spots that will be filled with mostly pre-arbitration players making league minimum. Will their payroll surpass $80 million? View full video

Major League Baseball wasted no time announcing the 2025 Gold Glove winners less than 24 hours removed from one of the best World Series in recent memory. While no current Minnesota Twins were finalists (was Buxton snubbed??), two former Twins first basemen were up for the award. On Sunday evening, it was announced that Ty France beat out Carlos Santana and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for his 1st career Gold Glove. France, signed by the Twins last February, is not typically known for his glove, but something changed in 2025. After posting six consecutive seasons of a negative Outs Above Average (OAA) to start his career, France produced 10 OAA this season between the Twins and Toronto Blue Jays. The number ranked in the 96th percentile across baseball, per Baseball Savant. Additionally, his defense provided a Run Value of 7, which was second best of all first basemen, one behind Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves. From MLB.com, Established in 1957, the Gold Glove Award honors the best defensive player at each position in each league. The voting process is made up of MLB managers and coaches (75%) and the sabermetrics community (25%). Managers and coaches vote only within their own league and cannot vote for players on their own teams. The Twins are in need of a first baseman. Despite his hitting woes, should they look to bring back France? Let us know in the comments! View full rumor

Hahahaha I did mean catcher but that's almost too good to fix.

Every year, MLB Trade Rumors releases a list of the most likely trade candidates for the offseason. In this season's edition, they named a total of 40 players, including three Minnesota Twins in the top nine. Starting Pitchers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, as well as Catcher Ryan Jeffers, were named the 2nd, 6th, and 9th most likely trade candidates, respectively. Ryan, expected to make around $6 million in his second year of arbitration, is coming off a season highlighted by a Cy Young caliber 1st half. As has been the case throughout his career, Ryan cooled off in the second half of the season with a 4.59 FIP. In all, Ryan finished with a 3.74 FIP and a 22.5% K-BB rate across a career-high 171 innings pitched. He was the subject of trade talks at the deadline, with a late push from the Boston Red Sox, and will likely be a popular topic of trade conversations throughout the offseason. Lopez, who is owed more than $43 million through 2027, only made 14 starts in 2025. In 75 2/3 innings, the righty sported a solid 3.19 FIP and mediocre 17% K-BB rate. While he had been one of the game's more durable pitchers before last season, his tenure with the Twins has been very up and down. While trading the 30-year-old at some point seems likely, Lopez's value right now is lower than it's ever been. While the Twins are more concerned with the bottom line than maximizing value, they would be remiss to deal the righty now instead of waiting until the 2026 trade deadline. Jeffers, expected to earn more than $6 million in his final year of arbitration, represents the only MLB-caliber player on the roster. While he remained as one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball last season, his power output left more to be desired. He graded out as a below-average catcher, which is likely what he is, even after three years under the tutelage of Christian Vazquez, but that could be somewhat mitigated by the introduction of the ABS system. Unless the Twins plan to add a catcher via trade or free agency, I would be shocked to see them deal Jeffers, as there is nobody in the entire organization ready to take his job. Do you think the Twins will trade any of these guys over the offseason? Let us know what you think in the comments! View full rumor