Nate Palmer

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Just as everyone drew it up at the beginning of the season, the Minnesota Twins are battling the Cleveland Guardians not only for the top spot in the American League, but also for second place for innings pitched by starters in the American League. The rotation’s usage is a far cry from what had been one of the biggest grievances hurled at former skipper Rocco Baldelli: a quick hook on starters. What has changed to bring the Twins' starting rotation into such a different place from a usage standpoint? Last season, the Twins finished 13th in the AL for innings from starting pitchers; they only topped the Athletics and the White Sox. Two seasons ago, the Twins were seventh—much better than 13th, but still quite a way from that second-place spot they currently sit in after taking the series from the Boston Red Sox. It's not hard to identify the main reason why this year's team has hewed closer to the blueprint of a club built around a strong starting rotation: solid performance. The unproven starters the team turned to after López went down, Taj Bradley, and Mick Abel, have been nothing short of remarkable to start the season. Other factors have also contributed to the choice to let starters work deeper. The offense has actually been providing run support. If we take, for instance, Bailey Ober’s outing against the Red Sox on Monday evening, he gave up four runs over six innings. Three of those runs came somewhat early in the game during the third inning. Since the Twins already had 11 runs on the board, though, there wasn’t even a thought of getting Ober out of the game that early. Instead, Derek Shelton could simply let Ober battle through and cover a few more innings. Over the last two seasons, Baldelli frequently admitted that the flow of the game forced him to remove starters before he'd have ideally done so. Ober’s recent outing is really the only example that fits that mold exactly, but it isn’t the only way run support helps out the rotation. What has been a more regular occurrence is good run support paired with good pitching performances. In that scenario, pitchers likely have a psychological edge, allowing them to pitch more freely. They get some extra time to recover and refresh themselves while the offense goes to work, and when they're on the mound, there's more margin for error and less anxiety. Every pitch isn't a do-or-die situation like it has been for the Twins for long stretches in recent seasons, when the offense struggled to produce. We especially saw this last season, when what was supposed to be a dominant bullpen always had to pitch with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel in order to carry the Twins to a win, because there was little to no offense behind them. If this group were underperforming, of course, a strong offense wouldn't be enough to have them eating this many innings. Joe Ryan continues to be Joe Ryan, somewhat vulnerable to external influences but immensely talented and competitive. Bradley is doing his best to impersonate Ryan’s first full season with the Twins, quickly cementing himself as the number two starter in the rotation. He has a longer track record and a sturdier build than Ryan had back then, though, and can be trusted to work a bit deeper than Ryan could be. Abel is dealing right now, and Ober, despite his decreased velocity, is giving the team competitive outings and keeping them in it. Simeon Woods Richardson is the closest of the bunch to drawing concern, but his track record gives him some leeway. The success of the rest of the group gives him even more. Obviously, the team also lacks the deep, high-powered bullpen Baldelli had over the last few years. That could be a motivating factor in Shelton's decision to allow longer starts. Regardless of the motivation, until there is a more solidified path through the pen, getting that extra inning or two from a starter will pay dividends for the club. The volume they've provided has shielded Shelton and his team from the roster's weaknesses. For as long as he can afford to do so, we're likely to see Shelton keep trusting his starters, and letting them get deeper into games than we've seen in the past. View full article

Thank-you and good catch! Just trying to live in a different era!

Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images As the Minnesota Twins gear up for their season opener in Baltimore, the major-league roster continues to be trimmed down to its appropriate 26-player size. Friday, two recognizable veteran relievers, Andrew Chafin and Liam Hendriks, were granted their release after being informed they wouldn't make the team. Considering the depleted state of the Twins bullpen after the trade deadline sell-off, this seems like a strange move and one that should invoke panic. It may instead be the exact opposite: a move that signals a lesson learned from past roster mistakes. Hendriks, at the outset of camp, was a leading candidate to be the top right-hander at the back end of the bullpen, vying for save opportunities. Coming off injuries and a cancer battle, the Twins needed to see Hendriks regain form closer to his 2022 self. While Hendriks was able to ramp up to the mid-90s in velocity, general manager Jeremy Zoll stated they didn’t see the consistency they had hoped to from their reliever. The most recent of those inconsistencies was on display Thursday evening as the Twins visited the Red Sox. Hendriks, in his one inning of work, gave up two hits, two walks, threw a wild pitch, and allowed one run. Evidenced by his release the next day, it was not what the Twins and Zoll were looking for in the veteran. Chafin came to the Twins with a similar good veteran track record, offering continued hope for the rebuilding bullpen. When the left-hander was at his peak of success, he was able to throw 93 mph with his sinker. As Chafin worked through spring, he was never able to touch 90 mph and sat at only 86 mph in Monday’s outing. It's a continued negative trend from his 89 mph average in 2025. Moving on from those two veterans represents a shift from what we have traditionally seen from the Twins. The club is giving a chance to an unproven group that may have upside, rather than potentially watching some name-worthy veterans continue to trend in the wrong direction. This means that now the likes of Cole Sands, Zak Kent, Eric Orze, Dan Altavilla, Matt Bowman, Trent Baker, and Cody Laweryson will have a shot at being the arms that rebuild the Twins bullpen. It may be too early to call this a full-on change in philosophy, but it is a positive sign that there may be one in process. Twins fans have had to endure watching the Twins hang onto veterans of the likes of Joey Gallo way beyond their usefulness. Instead, we will get to see if one of these low-wattage additions can have the sort of success the team desperately needs for the sake of the bullpen. It should be a welcome change from the post-deadline stretch in 2025 when veteran placeholders got most of the innings rather than anyone with much future potential. It wasn’t too long ago that the Twins had both Danny Coulombe and Jeff Hoffman in camp and released them just before they had great success elsewhere. While Derek Falvey is gone, others like Zoll have been part of a leadership that has been able to identify good arms, but hasn't held onto them long enough. Just a fraction of that sort of success from one of the group of relievers still in camp would be great development for the 2026 roster. If this is a true signal of a renewed willingness to move on from veterans sooner rather than later, it could be a significant advantage on the positional side as well. Right now, the Twins will have an exciting group of outfield prospects in St. Paul to start the season, including Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzelez, and Walker Jenkins. If the likes of James Outman or Trevor Larnach struggle out of the gate, fans can be hopeful that a Zoll-led front office may be willing to move on with appropriate timing, paving the way for this exciting group of prospects ready to hit the majors. What do you think? Did the Twins make a grave mistake by letting go of two proven veterans, or do you have faith that this is a sign that the tide is turning in Minnesota in how the front office handles veterans? View full article

Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Minnesota Twins left-handed pitching prospect Kendry Rojas got his first spring training action Sunday. He worked two innings, tossing 24 pitches, with three strikeouts and no walks against the Atlanta Braves. Rojas also generated an encouraging five swings and misses over his two innings, while touching 98 mph on the radar gun. After coming over from Toronto in the trade that sent Louis Varland out of Minnesota, Rojas will hope to be that electric on a more consistent basis. There's still plenty of room to grow for the 23-year-old left-hander, who has struggled to stay healthy during his pro career. To be a starter, Rojas will need to throw more innings than he has proved capable of. His career high for innings in a season is 84, achieved in A-ball back in 2023. Rojas has traditionally been a fastball-slider pitcher, but there seem to be issues with both of those pitches. The heater has sometimes had a four-seam shape, and sometimes been much more of a running two-seamer. The two-seam version of the pitch got hit hard last year, and overall fastball execution is a key area in which to make progress for Rojas. Rojas's slider grades out fairly well, but still got hit hard last season, itself. The lack of consistent execution in terms of lateral movement sometimes leaves Rojas's fastball(s), changeup and slider looking too similar; he has rarely shown the ability to create big contrasts in movement and location. That's limited him in thee effort to get whiffs. The key to that might be committing to the four-seamer, and scrapping the sinker. Rojas's four-seamer averaged north of 97 MPH Sunday, and because he kept it from running and flattening out, it set up his changeup and slider better. This will be an interesting development to keep an eye on. As we outlined above, Rojas’s heat has been hit hard in the past. Is his first outing of the spring the sign of a new approach in pitch mix for the young pitcher, or simply a one-off that worked against the Braves? This is the point where we usually ask whether Rojas should remain a starter or be considered for a relief role. However, this team is already loaded with lefty relief options for 2026. Furthermore, as we said at the beginning, from a value standpoint, the Twins really need Rojas to blossom into the effective starter they traded Varland for. Rojas has also told reporters this spring that the Twins have told him he is a starter, making the answer to that question simple. Rojas is plenty young and has plenty of time before any true panic needs to set in—that is, unless injuries, trades or ineffectiveness cause the Twins to need to call upon their Triple-A depth sooner than they would wish to. He has all three minor-league option years remaining, but if he's going to break through as a starter, it will probably happen before then. It will probably happen, too, via the tightening of that fastball into a pitch with consistent ride and less run, giving him more chances to generate swings and misses. View full article

Image courtesy of Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins are looking for pitchers in their gutted bullpen and now in their rotation, which had its depth shaken up by the now-official news that Pablo López will undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. That leaves a prospect like Andrew Morris in a unique place. With the subtraction of López, Morris moves up the starter pecking order, but if the darts thrown at veteran relievers don’t work out, should Morris be considered as a reliever? The 24-year-old right-hander has drawn plenty of comparisons to fellow Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews. Both have added considerable velocity to their four-seam fastball, and both had a quick ascension through the minor league system. In 2024, Morris began the season at High-A and closed it out at Triple-A St. Paul as he threw 133 innings across three levels. His 2025 season was interrupted by a forearm strain, but he threw 94 ⅔ innings with a 4.09 ERA and still showed encouraging developmental signs. Two aspects of Morris’ game that are clear positives for him are that he has a good four-seam fastball and has been good at limiting walks. Morris also has a vast pitch mix in addition to his four-seamer (sinker, cutter, curve, slider, and change), which could help him continue to develop and profile as a starter as long as each of those pitches performs well against MLB hitters. The effectiveness of Morris’ entire arsenal seems to be something the Twins still need more confidence in before he can make the jump to the majors. His fastball has average pure vertical break at 16.33 inches and vertical run at 5.36 inches. Morris’ four-seamer is his most used pitch at 29.8% last season, sits at 94-96 MPH, but has touched 98 MPH when needed. While Morris’ fastball looks like his best pitch in many ways, it is also the pitch that has been hit the hardest, with a 47.67% hard hit percentage. The rest of Morris’ mix outside of his sweeper seems to fall within the pitching “dead zone” when it comes to movement, making them much less deceptive and easier for opposing batters to hit. Across the board, Morris would be well served if he could develop more shape to his pitch mix, helping him as he mixes and matches against opponents. Image from Prospect Savant The site Prospect Savant gives Morris an overall good score, but in its ranking of each pitch individually, that ranking gets interesting. The site uses a psStuff+ stat, which mimics the Stuff+ stat we're all more familiar with. Using psStuff+, only Morris’ cutter (104) and sweeper (103) rank above the 100 threshold. This makes Morris’ cutter a very interesting pitch. As psStuff+ highlights, the cutter may have the best characteristics of any of Morris’ pitches, but it has produced some of the worst expected results of any of his pitches. This seems like an immediate area where improvement could yield big gains for the right-hander and boost his ranking as a starter in the Twins system. If Morris were to move to being a one-inning reliever, we could expect the velocity on his fastball to improve, and he would also likely focus on trimming down his pitch mix and could lean into his sweeper, which is the one other good movement pitch outside of his four-seamer and the aforementioned cutter. Completely cutting out the other secondary pitches wouldn’t be absolutely necessary, as other starters turned relievers have kept their full arsenal to help them with their effectiveness. There's a chance that cutting some of those secondary pitches may negatively affect how he attacks left-handed hitters. Based on the recent developments in the Twins free agency activity and Lopez’s injury, it doesn’t make sense at this point to move the 24-year-old Morris away from starting. If the time came later in his career or late in the season where the team needed a talented arm to move into the pen, Morris is a pitcher who could follow a long line of one-time starters to make that transition, whether it would be permanently or for a shorter stint. For now, more time starting in St. Paul makes the most sense for Morris. What would be your plan for handling Morris going forward? What role do you believe will unleash his maximum effectiveness? View full article

I really appreciate this from TopGunn for the alternative packages. I really mistrust Trade Values valuation as it often has some unrealistic values for players that is why I chose to instead try to use trades that have been completed in the past. I would love nothing else than the Twins to be able to get the likes of Abreu, Casas, or Campbell, I just don't think other teams will value Jeffers, Larnach, or Wallner to that level. I will eat crow if that changes and be very happy to do so. I may run around in the streets singing "Win Twins." I would think the only hope for that sort of value coming true is if other catcher needy teams push the trade to that level. Thank-you for everyone's thoughts!

As we wait for the Twins to give us clues to how the roster will fit together with the addition of the veteran Victor Caratini, we can also still speculate on some moves that could work. The Boston Red Sox are a team that is still seeking help at the catcher position. The two teams already primed the pump for trades with a minor trade on Wednesday morning. Let us see if we can make a bigger trade work, sending Ryan Jeffers to Boston to solve their catching needs. Before the reported signing of Caratini to a two-year deal, one of the big question marks moving forward for the Twins has been who will fill the catcher position come 2027. The Twins have collected plenty of catching talent recently, but none of those players is likely to reach the big leagues anytime soon. With Caratini in place, there is a baseline for 2027. If the Red Sox trade for Jeffers, they have a player who could help with the Twins' needs in 2027 and beyond. Connor Wong is currently slated to be the Red Sox backup catcher, but he doesn’t seem long-term in the Red Sox plans, considering they are shopping around for more catching help. Wong is similar to both Caratini and Jeffers in that he isn’t highly regarded for his defense at catcher. Where Wong can bring value to a team is with his bat. The issue is that last season, he did not deliver in that way, only hitting for a .190 batting average, .500 OPS, and 39 wRC+ over 63 games. The Twins could be more patient with Wong, who still has an option year remaining and can be sent to the minors. While last year's offensive stats were not good, in 2024, he played in 126 games with a .280 batting average, 112 wRC+, and .758 OPS. while also hitting 13 home runs. The Twins could send Wong to St. Paul and hope the club can help the catcher rediscover that 2024 offensive form while letting Caratini and Alex Jackson set up behind the plate in Minneapolis. In this part of the trade, the Twins trade away Jeffers’ $6.7 million and replace it with Wong’s $1.375 million, which he earned himself in his first year of arbitration. That would save the Twins roughly $5.3 million, which we can hope could be used to add to a very empty bullpen in some late offseason additions. Speaking of the bullpen, considering how much more valuable Jeffers is than Wong, the Twins could turn to see if they could identify a reliever for the 2026 bullpen who is on the Red Sox roster. One name that immediately jumps off the roster is an old friend and left-handed reliever, Jovani Moran. Moran had a worrisome 6.75 ERA last season but an expected ERA of 3.75. If the regime still sees value in Moran, he could be a target. It doesn’t have to be Moran either. But if the Twins brought back a potential future catcher in Wong and a reliever to give a bit more steadiness to the bullpen, that gives the Twins value for a player in Jeffers that looks ready to walk off into free agency this offseason and is part of a weird fit of players currently on the Twins roster. For Twins fans, this return package likely feels underwhelming for a player who has been a key to any positive vibes recently for the club. It does fit with what some previous catcher trades have produced. Detroit traded for a half-season of catcher Carson Kelly in 2024 in exchange for two minor leaguers, catcher Liam Hicks and pitcher Tyler Owens. Hicks has seen success with Miami after they selected him in the Rule 5 draft, while Owens debuted last season but pitched well in very limited chances. This past trade deadline, Danny Jansen netted the Rays a prospect in Jadher Areinamo. Before being traded, Areinamo was often ranked in the low 20s in Brewers prospect rankings and has been successful in the Venezuelan league this winter. Both Jansen and Kelly had less control than Jeffers currently does, but it at least gives us a launching point for value. Jeffers has full-year control and better offensive production, so his value should be slightly higher. That would certainly be reflected in a package of Wong and Moran, who both have a major league track record to look at. Is this a deal worth making to clean up what appears to be a confusing roster? Should the Twins just figure out how to make it work with both Jeffers and Caratini on the roster? View full article

Image courtesy of Bill Streicher-Imagn Images On Friday afternoon, it was announced that the Minnesota Twins have a 2-year, $14 million agreement with catcher and first baseman Victor Caratini. With the way the team has postured its own spending limitations this offseason, it seems like a very strange move given they already had two major-league catchers on the roster. What could be next for the Twins after the signing of Caratini? 1. Incoming Jeffers trade? Ryan Jeffers’s name has already been in the trade rumor mill. With Caratini’s $14 million over the next two years added to the payroll, it seems hard to find a way that Jeffers's $6.7 million this year makes sense, or if any extensions for him are possible. A trade involving Jeffers already seemed very plausible, and Caratini’s addition only seems to add to that reality. Most recently, Jeffers was linked to the Philadelphia Phillies, but with the return of J.T. Realmuto, that connection is no longer possible. Teams like the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, and Pittsburgh Pirates are teams that have been linked to catchers this offseason. Jeffers would represent a solid addition for any team looking for catching help at an affordable salary. If the Twins were to move on from Jeffers, that would put the club back essentially in the same place they were, payroll-wise, for 2026, while holding control of Caratini for one more year than they have control of Jeffers. A trade would also provide the opportunity for the Twins to acquire a significant player(s) to either help with infield defensive needs or the bullpen. 2. Is Jeffers viewed as a bat now? If a trade is not in the works, Jeffers has been one of the Twins most impactful bats during his tenure. The addition of another catcher that the Twins feel confident in starting frees the right-handed Jeffers up to escape the physical demands of being the Twins starting catcher for 120+ games. Instead, Caratini would allow Jeffers to return to a similar catching load as he had when paired with Christian Vazquez. Possibly even less, with Alex Jackson also currently in the mix. It would be an interesting rotation to navigate, but with as much as the Twins struggled on offense last season, maximizing one of your best bats could yield good results for the club. Jeffers ended 2025 with a 113 wRC+ and a .752 OPS. The only current Twins that finished ahead of him in those stat categories are Byron Buxton, Luke Keaschall, and Matt Wallner. If Jeffers is viewed as having more value as a bat than as a catcher, getting him in the lineup more often becomes that much more important. Jeffers played in 119 games last season, and rotating him more often as a first baseman or DH would get him closer to playing 162 games and maximizing the value of his bat. Which inevitably means more first base or DH play. This also pushes Kody Clemens down the depth chart, allowing him to be an effective role player instead of a stretched starter if he makes the roster. In this view of Jeffers, Caratini now becomes the primary catcher defensively. At the plate, he would provide similar offensive stats and not a huge drop off with a 104 wRC+ and .728 OPS in 2025. Defensively, he has been rated very similarly to Jeffers. One area in which he is superior to Jeffers is in Baseball Savant’s blocks above average. His 4 blocks above average ranks him 15th amongst MLB catchers. 3. Jackson, the odd man out? It is possible that the first two points are simply applying too much complexity to the move. Jackson was the waterline move that the front office made early on in the offseason to make sure, in the worst-case scenario, they weren’t left without a backup catcher. Caratini now simply represents the upgrade, and Jackson, who is out of options, is now expendable. In that case, in the next several days, we may see if the Twins can find a suitor for Jackson or simply release him. From there, Caratini and Jeffers will share catching duties similarly to how Vazquez and Jeffers had done previously. As fans, we will certainly be waiting to see how Caratini fits into the overall roster construction plans for 2026. What do you believe is next for the Twins? View full article

Image courtesy of © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images As the offseason market churns, the most significant news for the Twins comes from moves that affect off-the-field dealings and less the ones that directly affect on-field competition. The club recently revealed further details about the limited partners purchasing minority interests in the club. Of course, the Pohlads stole the spotlight in that announcement by ousting brother Joe for brother Tom. On the field, the Twins have signed Josh Bell to bolster their lineup and replaced free agent Christian Vázquez with Alex Jackson via a trade with Baltimore. A lot of questions remain regarding the bullpen, but an early offseason trade to acquire Eric Orze from the Rays is the most significant relief pitcher addition to date. Instead of dwelling on the Twins' needs, let's turn to what the rest of the AL Central has done and what the Twins might be up against in 2026. Cleveland Guardians In light of the news that the Guardians will certainly be without Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz while both face federal charges related to rigging bets, the AL Central foes have spent most of their additions on bullpen arms. Shawn Armstrong will bring his veteran presence to Cleveland, after one of the best seasons of his career as he enters his age-35 season. Kolby Allard and Jakob Junis also represent depth arms that Cleveland will need to replace, either through other signings (like Connor Brogdon and Colin Holderman, whom they've also scooped up so far) or from within. Beyond the bullpen, this Cleveland team is currently slated to be the same one we saw last offseason, with familiar names like José Ramírez and Steven Kwan leading the offense. We must remember that this was a group good enough to win the division last season. Additions: Signed RP Connor Brogdon to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: -0.3 Signed RP Colin Holderman to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.1 Signed RP Shawn Armstrong to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 1.4 RP Justin Bruihl (acquired from Toronto). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 OF Stuart Fairchild (MiLB deal). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 Subtractions: RP Sam Hentges (signed with Giants). 2025 fWAR: Injured OF Lane Thomas (signed with Royals). 2025 fWAR: -0.5 SP Triston McKenzie (signed MiLB deal with Padres). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 Still on the Board: RP Nic Enright. 2025 fWAR: 0.2 OF Will Brennan. 2025 fWAR: -0.1 RP Jakob Junis. 2025 fWAR: 0.6 RP Ben Lively. 2025 fWAR: 0.4 RP Kolby Allard. 2025 fWAR 0.7 INF Will Wilson. 2025 fWAR -0.4 Chicago White Sox The White Sox will hope to see many of their young players take the next step in 2026, but they have—if nothing else—added some intriguing names to their talent mix. Munetaka Murakami comes over from Japan on a two-year deal, in a bit of a surprise signing. Murakami could become another South Side power bat that the Twins will be forced to pay attention to. Sean Newcomb will add some desperately needed length to the White Sox rotation, which is slated to be led by last season’s Rule 5 pick, Shane Smith. Anthony Kay is a fellow left-handed starter who will come back to the States after a stint in Asia. The White Sox will hope that Kay’s 1.74 ERA over 155 innings will translate back to the United States, as it has for others before him making that same transition. Additions: SP/RP Sean Newcomb to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 1.7 1B/3B Munetaka Murakami to a 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: NPB SP Anthony Kay to a 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: NPB SP/RP Chris Murphy (acquired from Boston) 2025 fWAR: -0.2 OF Everson Pereira (Acquired from Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: -0.5 Subtractions: RP Steven Wilson (traded to Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: 0.4 SP/RP Yoendrys Gomez (traded to Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: 0.1 OF Michael A. Taylor (retired). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 RP Tyler Alexander signed a 1-year deal with Texas. 2025 fWAR: 1.3 OF Will Robertson (claimed by Pittsburgh). 2025 fWAR: -0.8 Still on the Board: RP Cam Booser. 2025 fWAR: -0.6 OF Mike Tauchman. 2025 fWAR: 1.4 SP Martin Perez (mutual option declined). 2025 fWAR: 0.8 RP Miguel Castro. 2025 fWAR: -0.1 Losing Tyler Alexander and potentially Mike Tauchman will leave the White Sox with the biggest production voids. The team will only succeed if the young players develop, as the baseball world got a glimpse of last season. While the hill looks steep, it could prove unwise to completely overlook an offensive core of Chase Meidroth, Kyle Teel, and Colson Montgomery, now joined by Murakami. Detroit Tigers For much of 2025, Detroit looked like the team to beat in the AL Central. There are still many reasons why they look that way going into 2026. Among all the trade rumors, Tarik Skubal is arguably one of the best starting pitchers in baseball and is still a Tiger. Gleyber Torres is returning to the team to maintain the middle of a formidable lineup, with Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, and Spencer Torkelson. On the pitching side, the Tigers have made some significant additions to their bullpen. Kenley Jansen is slated to take over the closer's role as he chases 500 career saves. Kyle Finnegan will bring ample setup experience to deepen the Tigers' bullpen. Additions: RP Kenley Jansen to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.6 RP Kyle Finnegan to a 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 1.2 2B Gleyber Torres (accepted qualifying offer). 2025 fWAR: 2.6 SP/RP Drew Anderson to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: KBO Subtractions: RP Chase Lee (traded to Toronto). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 SP Randy Dobnak (minor league deal with Seattle) 2025 fWAR: -0.1 RP Alex Lange (signed with Kansas City) 2025 fWAR: 0.0 RP Jason Foley (signed with San Francisco). 2025 fWAR: DNP Still on the Board: INF Andy Ibanez (non-tendered). 2025 fWAR: 0.4 RP Jason Foley. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 RP Dugan Darnell. 2025 fWAR: 0.0 RP Paul Sewald (mutual option declined). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 SP Jose Urquidy (club option declined). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 SP Alex Cobb. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 RP Tommy Kahnle. 2025 fWAR: 0.1 RP Rafael Montero. 2025 fWAR: 0.1 SP Chris Paddack. 2025 fWAR: 0.7 While the Tigers are certainly losing a lot of recognizable names, those names did not quite perform as hoped. Jansen and Finnegan bring some name recognition with them as well, and Detroit will hope they bring their 2025 production with them. Kansas City Royals The Royals were initially viewed as a team with limited payroll flexibility heading into the offseason. That hasn’t stopped them from making some trades and deals, and specifically dealing from a place of depth: their pitching staff. Most of Twins Territory didn’t believe the Royals would be competitive last season, even after a series of signings. Unfortunately, they were competitive, and the Royals only seemed to strengthen themselves. Kansas City has added to its roster with the acquisition of lefty Matt Strahm (one of my favorite moves of the offseason) and outfielder Isaac Collins, both acquired via trade. Additions: RP Matt Strahm (acquired from Philadelphia). 2025 fWAR: 1.5 RP Nick Mears (acquired from Milwaukee). 2025 fWAR: 0.5 OF Isaac Collins (acquired from Milwaukee). 2025 fWAR: 2.6 OF Lane Thomas to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: -0.5 RP Alex Lange to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.0 OF Kameron Misner (acquired from Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: 0.3 SP Mason Black (acquired from San Fransisco). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 C Salvador Perez re-signed to 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.5 Subtractions: RP Jonathan Bowlan (traded to Philadelphia). 2025 fWAR: 0.2 RP Angel Zerpa (traded to Milwaukee). 2025 fWAR: 0.3 OF Logan Martin (traded to San Francisco). 2025 fWAR: N/A RP Sam Long (signed with NPB Chiba Lotte). 2025 fWAR: -0.4 OF Mike Yastrzemski (signed with Atlanta). 2025 fWAR: 2.4 RP Hunter Harvey (signed with Cubs). 2025 fWAR: 0.5 Still on the Board: RP Taylor Clarke. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 OF MJ Melendez. 2025 fWAR: -0.6 OF Randal Grichuk. 2025 fWAR: -0.4 SP Michael Lorenzen (declined mutual option). 2025 fWAR: 1.2 C Luke Maile. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 INF/OF Adam Frazier. 2025 fWAR: 0.7 Mike Yastrzemski certainly represented value as a solid MLB regular last season, so losing him shouldn’t be entirely overlooked. At the same time, the Royals look ready to reload in the outfield and should continue to compete for the AL Central. Not to mention, there still seems to be steam around a desire to acquire outfielder Jarren Duran from the Boston Red Sox. What do these division moves mean for the Twins? Clearly, some AL Central foes have strengthened themselves, while the Twins haven’t done much. The AL Central does continue to be the AL Central. With the Twins still having a strong starting pitching core, they should be able to put themselves in a position to compete throughout the season, as none of the division teams have seemed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. View full article

The Nats are at least being asked about him. Good to see your name pop up!

Nats are at least being asked about him. Rosenthal and Sammon have been on top of that. What do you think it would take?

I did write "significant." I am thinking at least top-10 if not top-5. A lot of that depends on what the true demand is from other teams bidding.

With the Winter Meetings well underway, there will be lots of opportunities for baseball matchmaking to occur. With Carlos Correa long out the door, the Minnesota Twins could turn their attention to another shortstop on the trade market to bolster their current infield core. Rumors addressing what might be happening in the Washington Nationals suite has been heavy, and many of those rumblings have centered around the club's current shortstop, CJ Abrams. Abrams is a player who could help the Twins achieve their short- and long-term roster goals. As it stands, the Twins are short on major league experience at each of their infield positions. Abrams debuted in 2022 and, since then, has played in the majority of three major league seasons. While Abrams would have the most game experience under his belt of anyone currently in Minnesota if he joined the Twins roster, he is also only 25 years old, is hitting his first year of arbitration, and very well could grow with the other young players in the Twins system. Abrams is coming off his best season of offensive production, where he hit .257/.315/.433, a .748 OPS, and 20 home runs. Twins shortstops in 2025 hit .246/.299/.380, a .679 OPS, and 27 home runs. Abrams would be able to provide improved offensive production at a prime defensive position. Whoever acquires Abrams would hope his growth and increased production continue. Abrams also fits the mold of “younger and faster” if the Twins do want to continue leaning into the increased baserunning they displayed toward the end of 2025. In the past three seasons, Abrams has stolen 47, 31, and 31 bases. Adding him would be adding a well-established base-stealing and speed threat to the Twins roster. Statcast Abrams at 28.2 ft/s in sprint speed while providing a value of +7 in baserunning runs. Defense is a place where question marks will arise. Abrams has not been a good defender at the shortstop position, no matter the metric you look at. He produced a -5 DRS and -9 OAA this past season. The OAA metric was actually an improvement over a -14 in 2024. Shortstop wouldn’t have to be Abrams' primary position with the Twins, as Brooks Lee could continue to be penciled in at that spot. While Lee turned in a -1 OAA with an extended run after the Correa trade. If defense is a priority, moving Abrams to third or second is a real possibility. Regardless of the position Abrams would fill with the Twins, adding Abrams would create a logjam in the infield, unless one of those current infielders is part of the package that fetches the young shortstop. While the Derek Shelton hire has seemed positive for Royce Lewis, he has not been shy about expressing his displeasure with the direction of the clubhouse in the past. Overall, Lewis’ production has only trended downward since he entered the league. The Twins' third basemen did rebound in the second half of the season and hit for a .723 OPS, giving some optimism for 2026. A trade for Abrams could provide a perfect opportunity to give Lewis a change of scenery and truly revitalize his career. It also points to the sort of "MLB player for MLB player" trade that Derek Falvey mentioned is more likely this time of year. Not unlike Pablo Lopez for Luis Arraez. If they trade Abrams, the Nationals will certainly want to reload their own lineup, and Lewis would give them someone who has produced in the majors and is still on the front end of his career. The Twins could then play Lee and Abrams on the left side of the infield in whichever order they feel most comfortable, with whoever plays third base positioned as the first backup to the shortstop position. Willy Adames was also traded when he was 25. The then Ray was traded along with relief pitcher Trevor Richards to the Brewers for pitchers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. With that as a deal to compare potential value in an Abrams deal, and the reality that there may be some legitimate competition for Abrams, the Twins would need to kick a prospect into the deal in addition to Lewis. Depending on how real the interest around the league is in the shortstop, it may even need to be a somewhat significant prospect. The Twins do have enough prospects to get the deal done while keeping Lewis if they choose to go that route. If they did so, they would just need to get creative with the infield. Luke Keaschall would be able to shift to first base or even be a right-handed option for the outfield. It doesn’t create the most straightforward path to opportunities for each player and their development, but it could be accomplished. The Twins need to give their lineup a shot in the arm, and a young, dynamic player like Abrams could help provide that. Best case, the Twins catch a player like the Brewers did with Adames, hitting the prime of his career. Likely also acquiring the type of player and impact that Carlos Correa was supposed to more consistently provide for the club. View full article

The Minnesota Twins must see an improvement in their offense in order to have a chance at being competitive in 2026. The team has an obvious need for a right-handed, impact bat with first base and designated hitter as the most obvious positions where that addition could be added to the roster. Could free agent Paul Goldschmidt make sense for the Twins? Earlier in his career, Goldschmidt was a constant in All-Star and MVP conversations. He won the MVP award in the National League in 2022 while he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. Since 2022, Goldschmidt has not played anywhere near that MVP form, with a significant decline across many statistical categories. Even with that decline in performance, Goldschmidt looks like he would be a passable everyday player in Minnesota based on the traditional stats we look toward to measure production. With the Yankees in 2025, Goldschmidt slashed .274/.328/.403 with a .731 OPS. In 2025, Twins first basemen as a collective slashed .231/.304/.383 with a .687 OPS. With Kody Clemens currently the front runner for time at first base in 2026, a combination of Clemens and Goldschmidt looks intriguing when we simply look at the stats laid out above. A closer look reveals plenty of reasons to grow concerned about the 38-year-old. Often, when we look at batters and try to gauge where they are headed, bat speed is an important indicator. Goldschmidt, in the three years of data we have on swing speed, saw an increase in bat speed from 2023. An increase in bat speed is good, but what came with it may not be. With that increased speed, Goldschmidt, especially in 2025, began to swing under the ball more than ever. In 2024, Goldschmidt’s under% according to Statcast was 22.0% and rose to 27.1% last season. Subsequently, his flyball rate increased over the same time frame from 56.3% to 61.1%. The increase in flyball rate isn’t necessarily a concern in and of itself, as Goldschmidt has had similar flyball rates in some of his more productive seasons. The flyballs, combined with where the ball is being contacted, seem to have decreased much of Goldschmidt’s power. Year by year, since his MVP season, Goldschmidt has seen a decline in several secondary stats that indicate potential power output. xSLG xwOBA Barrel % 2023 0.447 0.367 12 2024 0.414 0.329 10.7 2025 0.403 0.328 7.9 By looking at expected stats, we eliminate the possibility that Goldschmidt has simply had bad luck. Instead, his reduction in production and power truly seems to be a product of a true decline. While in the Twins' recent past, the club has found success in signing aging sluggers such as Nelson Cruz and Jim Thome , Goldschmidt does not seem to be aging as gracefully. The production may level off and be similar in 2026 as it was in 2025, but at what cost for Goldschmidt’s next team, and is that cost worth it for the Twins? It seems unlikely that it would be wise for the Twins to go in the direction of Goldschmidt, even as desperate as they are for offensive production. The Twins will need to find treasure this offseason, but a Goldschmidt signing has a good chance of turning up fool’s gold. View full article

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins will need to find more consistent offensive production in 2026. With no signs pointing to an ability to spend substantial money in the free agent market, the Twins could turn to a crop of players who were recently made available at the non-tender deadline on Friday. Going into the deadline, it seemed as if the Twins would be keeping an eye on catchers who hit the open market after being non-tendered. The acquisition of Alex Jackson has since then made a move for a catcher no longer needed; therefore, we will turn our attention elsewhere. Here are three players who could help fill some lineup roles for the Twins. Nathaniel Lowe 1B Nathaniel Lowe was non-tendered by the Boston Red Sox, who acquired the left-handed batter mid-2025 from the Washington Nationals. MLBTR projected Lowe to be up for a raise that would land him at $13.5 million, which is too rich for the Twins if Lowe still expects something nearing that. Due to his play, the first baseman’s price should come down considerably, and the Red Sox version of Lowe could help stabilize first base and designated hitter for the Twins. In those 34 games with Boston, Lowe slashed .280/.370/.420 with a .790 OPS. The average and on-base percentage are well above his career marks, but the OPS is close to his career mark, in which he has held a .771 OPS. Lowe is approaching age 30, so the dip in production over the last several years is a concern, but he has still been as good as any of the Twins' current options at first base. Alexander Canario OF If the Twins wanted to try to add some right-handedness to their outfield, a Derek Shelton reunion with Alexander Canario would do that. The 25-year-old got his first significant playing time with the Pirates after spending time in the majors with the Chicago Cubs, where he was once a top prospect. As a prospect, Canario was viewed as someone with good size, which could translate into good pull power, but he hasn’t seen that materialize yet in the majors. Canario has shown his bat at lower levels of professional baseball, producing a .850 OPS and 18 home runs with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in 2024. Last winter in the Dominican Winter League, the right-hander had a .955 OPS. Canario seems like many Twins players who have yet to fully find a way to translate their tools into major league production. If Shelton and the Twins evaluators see something in him, yet he could be worth a flyer to capture a bat with some pop to it. J.J. Bleday OF In the past several offseasons, the Twins' front office has identified a backup centerfielder to bring into the mix. J.J. Bleday has a lot of experience at the position, playing 157 games there in 2024 and another 55 this past season as a member of the Athletics. In 2024, he played 159 games with the Athletics and amassed 2.1 bWAR, a .762 OPS, and an OPS+ of 120. Now, Bleday is unlike those other centerfielders the Twins have employed, as he has struggled with his range in center field. If the Twins believe they can recapture his bat from 2024 and make him into the sort of defender who can spell Byron Buxton in center, there could be a platoon role for Bleday. He would be joining a very full roster of fellow left-handed outfielders, which that redundancy alone may make him a long shot for the Twins. What do you think? Can any of these non-tendered hitters help the Twins in 2026? Are there other non-tendered hitters you'd like to see the Twins try to sign? View full article