stringer bell

We know a number of things about the 2026 pitching staff: 1) The 13 that start the season will not be the 13 that finish it. 2) There will be injuries and at least one pitcher will be lost for the season by May 1. 3) Guys who are being counted on will not meet expectations and 4) guys that aren't even on the horizon will get their chance with the Twins. With all of the uncertainty in the Twins' pitching staff, it seems prudent to get as many good arms as possible and sort out the roles, which might take much more than spring training. A couple of starters could end up in the 'pen--I've seen it suggested for Bradley, Abel, Festa and Prielipp to name a few. I would surmise that the Twins will keep a couple of potential starters in St. Paul to start the season and wait on converting many guys until there is a better idea of who is going to be effective. On the three guys listed in the OP, Festa has injury concerns plus a noted inability to go deep into games. He might be the best candidate to move to the bullpen of guys who have been starters. I think Ohl is pretty much a one-trick pony--his change-up is pretty nasty, but he doesn't have much else. Adams may also benefit by converting to a shorter relief role. It is possible that his stuff will play up in shorter stints. The Twins need to hit on a pretty high number of question marks to have a representative bullpen and they still probably need to bring in a couple of experienced guys from outside the organization.

I’ve seen comments that the Twins have bullpen arms in the minors who have upside. Who are they? I don’t see any reliever in the Twin’s minor league system that is anywhere close to being ready to help in 2026, at least for the first half of the season. To have any chance of competing, the Twins need to fill out a bullpen and setting the floor with Topa, Sands and Funderburk would seem to be the very least they should do.

If Wallner were to hit like he did in '23-'24, I think we would all put his "bad defense" in the back of the priorities list. According to BBRef, Wallner was -6 both in DRS and Total Zone with an annual rate around -12 since he only played about half a season in the outfield due to injuries and occasionally DHing. He certainly could make up the runs "lost" with his hitting, but didn't last year. I also think he can and should be a better outfielder than he showed in 2025. He has a great throwing arm and enough speed, but the routes were poor way too often last year. Wallner had a historically unproductive 20+ homer season in 2025. I hope he's better next year, but I think his runway is much shorter after a disappointing 2025.

Agree with @jorgenswest that some risks can be taken with position players because it is so difficult to keep them on the major league roster. Even though there is a good chance they’ll break in to the majors some time this year, it is likely Rosario and Fedko can be left of the 40-man roster this winter.

The last guy who got an extra option year that I remember was Lewis Thorpe (LH Aussie pitcher) who had dealt with injuries prior to making the majors. I think it is pretty rare to get an additional option year.

Fangraphs say that Rodriguez has one option remaining. 2026 may well be a make or break year for him.

Easy choice to offer a contract. Tougher choice for his role next year. Sands’ velo was down for a large portion of the season and as mentioned he had a rough stretch late which threw his numbers off. 2026 will be a big year for him.

How many veterans are needed to guide the team through the retooling? The bullpen could have a free agent plus Topa plus Tonkin. Is that enough? On it's face, my vote would be for non-tender. Tonkin is in his mid-thirties and is not a high-leverage guy. He also has veteran status and can't be sent back and forth to St. Paul without going through the DFA hamster wheel. The money for Tonkin's salary is negligible. If having Tonkin on the staff helps the other guys in the 'pen, there is a case to keep him. I really don't see it and he's probably not going to be as good as he was in the last two years. Side note: it seems like a million years ago when I sat next to Tonkin at a minor league scrimmage in Spring Training the day after he was sent to the minors by the Twins. To his credit he made it back and logged a couple more years of service time. Good for him.

Trevor Larnach is a proven mediocrity. Yes, he might be the third or fourth best hitter against right handed pitching for the Twins both this year and next year, but if he is, the team isn't good enough to win half of their games. I don't see a lot of upside there (less than Wallner, for example). If he's only a placeholder, I think this retooling makes him (and his contract) expendable.

Fundy threw a lot more strikes, both called and swinging, which greatly helped him net more outs. Lower arm angle? Sure, I guess. It appeared to me that he had better command and deception lt appears he’ll be relied on in 2026.

I think Lee played his best defense in August, after Correa was gone and before he slumped at the end of the season. I certainly agree that the Twins need infielders, but I do believe that Brooks can be an adequate shortstop defensively and an asset if he hits as he was projected to do before he made the major leagues.

Cabrera should not be tendered (I believe Twins' posters are unanimous on this), but I wouldn't object to signing him to a minor league contract, The Twins lack major league left handers and as long as Cabrera throws 95 with his left arm, there will be some interest in him.

A realistic scenario (IMHO) is to add a major league infielder to the mix. MLB Trade Rumors will list free agents at all positions and adding a guy who is a capable shortstop, but has versatility should be the goal. Someone like Josh Rojas or Amed Rosario wouldn't break the bank, but could provide a floor that is adequate. Frankly, I don't trust Fitzgerald to be adequate and there is really no further infield depth that is shortstop capable in the Twins upper minors.

Trevor Larnach is a major league player, but he's not one that should hold a roster spot over multi-talented guys like Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins. I would think the Twins will either make a trade similar to the one they made for Gio Urshela or they non-tender him. I think if Trevor is allowed to be a free agent, he will sign a major league deal with someone for less than his predicted arb number.

Even with the salary relief provided by trading Correa, I doubt the Twins acquire any free agent with an eight-figure contract. The best, most likely, free agent they might go for is Rhys Hoskins. After two disappointing seasons in Milwaukee, I think he might go for a make good one year deal, maybe $5-8M (?).

Brooks Lee is an interesting case study IMHO. We know the story--baseball brat, son of a coach, first round draft choice--and we've seen less than positive results, mostly explained by less than stellar tools--slow foot speed, average arm, below average swing speed--and on the surface that might tell the story. I think there is more there for Lee. Mentally, I think he took bad at-bats and slumps with him on the field, adversely affecting his defense. Secondly, I don't think he was 100% in shape either in '24 or '25, in part due to early season injuries both years. Also, I think he has faded badly in both Septembers he has been on the Twins team. That might be physical fatigue or mental fatigue I know Lee wasn't used to struggling on the field and he wasn't used to losing and both happened a lot in the Septembers of '24 and '25. The son of a coach who has played shortstop almost exclusively shows up in the attributes that @Old Twins Hat cited--sure hands, quick release, plays the angles and accurate arm--and a stronger and trimmer Brooks Lee might get to a few more balls in a season than last year's version. He'll never be fast, but adding a tick onto his sprint speed puts him closer to average than "catcher speed". I also think that knowing he will be in the lineup at shortstop at least five days a week will help him. Playing regularly at one position might get the most out of him. I don't see a star in his profile, but I do think he could be above average, particularly if he hits as he was projected to hit when he was drafted.

The last two positions to cover in my series are Designated Hitter and Catcher. There is overlap, since Ryan Jeffers was the second-most used DH and most-used catcher in 2025. He figures to have about the same workload or perhaps more in 2026. My summary after looking at catchers and the DH position will look at my early guess/prediction for the 13 position players on Opening Day. Catcher--Ryan Jeffers is the returning primary catcher. With Christian Vázquez soon to be a free agent, there is no one else in the organization who has caught more than a handful of games in the major leagues. Jeffers has now played in over 500 games and has more than 1800 plate appearances. He is in the middle of his career and his profile is pretty much filled out. After and outstanding year in 2023, Jeffers has been a slightly better than average hitter the past two years. That plays quite well for a catcher. Defensively, Jeffers is below average pretty much across the board, but he has worked well with pitchers and not been an embarrassment. Jeffers missed a couple weeks on the Concussion IL, but otherwise has stayed healthy for the last three years. Who will back up Jeffers? Within the organization, the Twins have Mickey Gasper, a utility guy who can catch and Jhonny Pereda, who filled in when both Vázquez and Jeffers were injured. Pereda hit and threw quite well and aquitted himself well behind the plate, but he'll be 30 for the majority of the 2026 season and up until now, he's only managed a "cup of coffee" in the majors. Gasper has been a fine hitter in AAA, but hasn't been able to carry solid hitting to the highest level. He hit .158 with an OPS under .500 in just over 100 plate appearances. If the Twins decide to fill the backup catcher position from within the organization, Pereda looks like the obvious choice. The Twins acquired two catchers in trade when they sold off at the deadline, but both look like they are quite a way from the majors. It would make sense to pick up an experienced defense-first guy to back up Jeffers and also provide more depth in the minor leagues. Designated Hitter--The most frequent DH was Trevor Larnach, who in more than 500 plate appearances, put up league average numbers. Larnach also played some in the outfield and was satisfactory, although grading out below average. I have speculated that Larnach won't be a Twin in 2026 and I'll stick with that. Ryan Jeffers had the second-most at bats as a DH and was okay. It makes sense to use Jeffers as a DH, particularly against left handed pitching. In 2026, Matt Wallner could be the primary DH in 2026 with several speedier options close to ready to patrol the outfield. It remains to be seen how the new manager will handle both the catcher and DH positions. Given the in-house experience behind him, Jeffers may be called on to catch in excess of 100 games and perhaps there will be a primary DH. My early guesses for the 13 position players are as follows: Catcher--Ryan Jeffers 1B--Unknown free agent veteran, 2B--Luke Keaschall, SS--Brooks Lee, 3B--Royce Lewis Lf--Austin Martin CF--Byron Buxton RF--Alan Roden. DH--Matt Wallner Bench--Kody Clemens, (maybe) Jhonny Pereda, Ryan Fitzgerald another experienced free agent on a make good deal. I hope it comes together well, but with no bullpen and questions all over, this looks like rebuilding and not retooling.

Lee will likely have his chance, but he has to be a lot better than he was in 2025 if he wants to hold on to be the regular shortstop. One season plus of Lee has given the doubters and critics plenty to be skeptical about. I believe and expect that Brooks Lee will be a better player in 2026, but I doubt he'll be good enough to stake a claim long-term to the Twins' shortstop position.

Add Hall of Famers Henry Aaron and Carl Yastrzemski as players who converted to first base. Both of those guys moved there quite late in their careers and continued to play in the outfield on occasion.

As usual, @DocBauer has a lot to say and I don't mean that as a slam. I'll take issue with a statement or two. I don't think the clock is ticking for E-Rod. He has zero major league service time and he's 21 years old. Options come in whole numbers and two options have been used for him. If I am not mistaken, he has two more. I concur and DFAs for McCusker, Keirsey Jr. and Outman, pointing out that both Keirsey and Outman will be playing the majority of the season as 29-year olds and McCusker as a 28-year old. I am ready for the club to move on from Outman. I don't think of it as a mistake that he was acquired, more of a lottery ticket, but one that had been in someone's pocket for a while. In my mind's eye, I see the Opening Day outfield of Martin, Buxton, Wallner, with Roden as the swing guy, starting in right when Wallner is the DH, center to give Buxton a day off and left on occasion in a quasi-platoon with Martin. If Emma is better than Roden in the spring, he could assume that role. Regardless, it would appear that players are going to get their chances. Rodriguez and Jenkins for sure, probably Gonzalez and maybe Fedko.

I agree that SWR upped his stock with his late-season finish. It is important to Woods Richardson because he won't have any options in 2026. At 25 years old, I really doubt the Twins want to lose him and his strong finish gives him a lot of rope. Martin only had two months with the Twins, mostly due to injury, but he was a much better player than he was in 2024. He has skills that the Twins need--speed and OB ability--and he played significantly better defense than his rookie season in 2024. I think he'll get an opportunity to be the primary left fielder. Clemens seems to be polarizing player all at once. I don't think it is prudent to pencil him in as the primary first baseman, but I think he earned a contract for 2026. Having Clemens on the bench seems a lot more like a good idea than it would have a year ago. I think that the other Kody also stepped up. Funderburk probably earned a bullpen spot with his performance after the trade deadline. Not only were his numbers much better, but he was put in high leverage spots and thrived.

BTW, I don't believe any manager could have made chicken salad out of the roster after the trade deadline. I don't blame Baldelli for the poor record after August 1. If the Twins had gone 10-2, (they were 4-8) in the twelve games after the break, they might have done things differently, but now the team is reconfiguring, if not rebuilding.

The Guards team fits together better IMHO and their one superstar plays every day and offers value even when he goes 0fer. Add in that guys like Bo Naylor and Schleeman absolutely kill the Twins head to head and there is the difference.

@tony&rodney is right, of course. This prediction/projection is a SWAG assuming little movement this offseason. It is entirely possible, if not likely, that players that were commented on are gone by way of trade or non-tender. Specifically, I think Matt Wallner has the speed and arm to be at least an average outfielder. I think the Twins can and should give him another season to see if he can improve there as well as hit more in line with his first two seasons. With the glut of lefty hitting corner OFs (including Jenkins and Rodriguez), I do think Trevor Larnach's time with the Twins is over. He's a major leaguer and might blossom in another environment. Roden probably deserves more of a shot than the few PAs he had before he was injured and there should be DH at bats for corner outfielders, as well. Ideally, I'd like to see Buxton flanked by Rodriguez and Jenkins, with Wallner as the DH. I am believing that whether the Twins try to contend in 2026 or not, they will move one or both of Ryan and López. They need a bullpen and more infielders. Ryan should net multiple players who can help right now, same with López. I alway try to remember Joe and Pablo are only a couple of months apart in age, so it isn't like there is more upside for Ryan than there is for López.

The Twins 2025 MVP plays center field. The outfield will be configured around Byron Buxton as long as he is a Twin and as long as he is healthy. Any discussion of the 2026 outfield starts with Byron Buxton in center field. Other threads have speculated about Buck being traded and I don't think it is out of the question, but that discussion is for other threads. Buxton played 126 games last year, his second best number and started 118 in center field, also the second most in his career. He startedd and finished the season healthy although he spent a total of four weeks on the Injured List. Let's assume he stays equally healthy in 2026 (and remains a Twin) and go from there. Left Field--Austin Martin is the incumbent left fielder going into 2026. He played in 37 games as the left fielder and started 28, more than anyone else on the current roster. Will he be the Opening Day left fielder? I think so, but a lot will depend on who the Twins manager is. Martin provided good on-base numbers (.374 OBP) with much improved defense in left field. (+5 defensive runs saved) and according to Baseball Savant, his arm graded out as above average. His profile isn't all roses--his base running was up and down--he made too many gaffes and outs on the bases--and he lacks power (one homer and only a .365 Slug). Martin turns 27 in spring training, so it would seem it is now or never for him. Martin played some center both in '24 and '25, but it looks like his best defensive position is left field. He started a couple of games at second base and it wouldn't be out of the question that he might do some of that in 2026, but his route to consistent playing time is in left field. It should also be mentioned that Martin suffered two hamstring injuries which probably cost him considerable time in the majors, although he was in the minor leagues when he suffered the injuries.His body of work for the 2025 Twins was only 50 games. There are several other candidates for playing time in left field for the 2026 Twins. Trade acquisition Alan Roden played in 12 games for the Twins and was generally unimpressive, but he has hit at all minor league levels and looks like a good defender who can also cover center field. James Outman auditioned with the Twins in September and hit a few homers, but struggled to make contact. He homered four times in 104 plate appearances, but struck out more than 43% of the time. I think that should disqualify him from making a big league team. Those numbers are in line with his last two years playing for the Dodgers. Trevor Larnach got some starts in left field, but was primarily a DH. Trevor was a league average hitter and grades out as a below-average corner outfielder. He was healthy all year and had career highs in all of the counting stats. A whole bunch of prospects are on the verge of making their major league debut, including Gabriel Gonzalez, Kyler Fedko, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins. Any or perhaps all of them could make their debut in 2026 and play left field. Martin hits right handed as do Gonzalez and Fedko, while Roden, Rodriguez and Jenkins hit lefty. Outman and Larnach are LH hitters, as is Kody Clemens, who also started several games in left field for the Twins in 2025. There are a lot of possibilities for left field in 2026. Center Field--Byron Buxton had a career year. As mentioned above he played in more than three quarters of the Twins games for the first time in eight year and set career highs in almost all categories. He mostly hit leadoff and provided power and speed at the top of the lineup. He played a good, but not great, center field and did reasonably well in high leverage situations. BBRef gave him 4.9 WAR, slightly less than he accumulated in 2017, but his slugging this year was easily his best for a full season. It will be interesting to see (if he stays a Twin) where he hits in the lineup next year. The team doesn't have a wealth of power outside of him and it might be better to put him in the middle of the order. Buxton was 24-24 in stolen bases and his success rate is among the very best in baseball history. Should he run a bit more? Yeah, but only if he's still able to stay on the field. Any hope for the Twins to be competitive features Buxton playing at least 100 games in center field. It will always be a priority for who is his backup. Many of the guys listed in my left field analysis figure in here. Both Walker Jenkins and e-Rodriguez mostly played center field this season, so they would be candidates to be the primary center fielder in Buxton's absence. The pecking order of those that played for the Twins would be Outman, Roden, and then Martin. Also on the roster is DaShawn Keirsey Jr. who spent the majority of '25 on the Twins active roster, but failed to hit at all in limited opportunities, but who is a good defender with the ability to steal a base. Right Field--Matt Wallner was the most-used right fielder in 2025, with Trevor Larnach second in appearances. Both are on the 40-man roster at this time and it would seem that they will see the bulk of playing time in right field as long as they are on the team. Wallner hit 22 homers and compiled a ..776 OPS in almost 400 plate appearances. The production from those numbers was pretty disappointing--47 runs scored and 40 RBI, so he accounted for only 65 runs in those 392 plate appearances. The batting average was barely above the Mendoza Line (.202). Also, by all measures, Wallner was not a good defender, despite a 99th percentile throwing arm. The power is tantalizing, to be sure. Wallner probably gets the Opening Day assignment in right field. As mentioned, Larnach had a full season of league average production as a corner OF and DH. He enters a time where his salary will increase dramatically due to arbitration and he is a good bet to be dealt or non-tendered. All of the guys mentioned in the left field mix could figure in for right field, plus Carson McCusker, who put up great numbers initially in St. Paul, but cooled in the second half. McCusker got 30 PAs for the Twins and did nothing noteworthy. Barring a trade, I think the starting outfield will be Martin, Buxton, Wallner left to right. I wouldn't be surprised to see many players get time in left unless Martin claims that position for himself. I also think Wallner is on the clock. Last year's season was unacceptable and a continuation of those struggles might mean others will get a chance in right. There are a lot of candidates, but no sure things. I do expect Jenkins and Rodriguez to debut and maybe Gonzalez. Hopefully, one or two of these guys becomes a lineup fixture. IMHO, the most likely player to be gone before Opening Day is Larnach, not that he's the best or the worst, but many other look like they can do what he does for less money. The dream scenario for the outfield is that someone emerges as the left fielder, Buxton stays healthy and productive in center, and Wallner bounces back to become a feared slugger. Most likely we will see something short of that in 2026.