Seth Stohs

This is why I'm not terribly worried about the Twins coaching staff. This group has hired so many coaches that have been poached from the minor leagues or from the MLB staff and gone onto successful stints coaching in the big leagues. That goes all the way back to Tanner Swanson, Rowson, Hefner... Popkins, and now Shoman, and then Bove, and several others. Corbin Day is really good. Did a great job in CR.

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photos of Kyle DeBarge) Kyle DeBarge had a successful first full season of professional baseball. The 22-year-old was the 33rd overall pick in July 2024 draft out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Recently, Twins Daily named him as the Twins Minor League All Star at second base. On Sunday, he was named a 2025 Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove winner for his work at second base. Drafted as a shortstop approximately a dozen picks after the Twins selected shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, DeBarge smoothly made the transition to the other side of the infield. In 73 games at second base, he had just six errors. From the eye test, he appears capable of making all the plays at second base. He charges the ball well. He's very good on the backhand side. He has a strong arm and knows where to be. No surprise since he has been a shortstop most of his playing days. As impressive, he played 24 games at shortstop without committing an error. He played 17 games in center field without an error. Even while moving around a bit defensively, he remained consistent with the glove. He also filled out a stat line quite well with his bat. In 121 games, he hit .237/.347/.362 (.709) with 23 doubles, five triples and eight home runs. In addition, he led the organization with 66 stolen bases in 74 attempts. The most recent Twins prospect to win a minor-league Gold Glove was 2023 when Kernels shortstop Noah Miller won the award. In 2019, outfielder Mark Contreras won a minor-league Gold Glove. A couple of years earlier, Max Murphy received a Gold Glove as well. View full article

Remember two years ago when the Blue Jays fans wanted their manager fired for removing Jose Berrios from a playoff start against the Twins. Suddenly that same manager has that same team one win from a Worl Series. The Twins had a rough 2024 season offensively and fans wanted the hitting coach gone. The GM did fire that hitting coach. Like, 5 days later, the Blue Jays hired that hitting coach, and he's got the best offense in baseball and is one win from the World Series title. Joe Torre had been hired and fired as a big-league manager 3 times before the Yankees called. He was perfect for that group at that time. Derek Shelton has a ton of baseball experience. He is a baseball lifer and knows the game. Ultimately, like Baldelli, it comes down to the players on the roster and the ownership...

Image courtesy of © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Remember the Trade deadline, Twins fans? What a rough day! As the offseason is about to begin, things probably won't get any easier in the near future for Twins fans. That said, it would be absolutely irresponsible for the Twins front office not to see what they can get in trade return for All Star Joe Ryan. You know Ryan's resume. He's been a solid starting pitcher for the Twins since leaving Tokyo after the Olympics where he learned he had been traded to the Twins from Tampa. He was an All Star in 2025, and very deservedly. He arguably earned it in 2024 as well. He came to the organization as basically a one-pitch pitcher. He worked with the pitching staff and in the offseasons to develop a fantastic slider. He has good control of multiple pitches while missing bats consistently with each of his pitches. Having those other plus-plus pitches makes his fastball even better. Joe Ryan will turn 30 years old early next June. He has two years remaining before becoming a free agent. MLB Trade Rumors projected Ryan to make $5.8 million in 2026 and if things go well again, he could make $10-12 million in 2027 before becoming a free agent. So, by rough estimate, a team could count on having an All-Star caliber pitcher for two years and somewhere around $15-18 million. In addition, they can decide at that point if they want to offer him the Qualifying Offer and get draft picks or sign him to a long-term deal. With the moves made at the 2025 deadline, and the idea that the Twins payroll may continue to go down, and we have no idea (Again) what the TV deal might look like in 2026. So, while the Twins could keep him, pay him $15-18 million over the next two years, make a Qualifying Offer, and get a draft pick. In theory, they could also sign him long-term. Does anyone reading this think that is going to happen anytime soon? But because of all that, the Twins need to get a monster haul for Ryan and not trade him just to trade him. Starting Pitching Market On Friday, MLB Trade Rumors posted a preview of the top free agent starting pitchers available this offseason. Tier 1 includes: Dylan Cease (30) coming off of a tough season. Tatsuya Imai (28) coming over from Japan. Lefty Ranger Suarez (32) has been really solid in Philadelphia for half of a decade. And then there is Framber Valdez (30) who easily would have been tops on this list if not for what he did to his catcher late in the season. Tier 2 includes the likes of Shane Bieber, Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Michael King and Brandon Woodruff. Each of them has questions, coming off of injury or performance lower than their standard. It is fair to say that Joe Ryan, if he was a free agent, would be in the first tier. There are also rumblings that the Tigers could make Tarik Skubal available for trade this offseason. He is likely to enter the offseason with back-to-back Cy Young Awards. Skubal has just one more season of team control. Which Teams Need Pitching Every team, right? But there are probably more high-spending teams that need pitching this offseason. And, since it's the offseason, even more teams could make a case to try to acquire Ryan. Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox and Twins clearly had conversations about Ryan as the trade deadline approached. Reports indicate the two sides weren't close, but there wasn't a ton of last-minute competition. Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello are at the top of the Red Sox rotation. Lucas Giolito and Dustin May will become free agents. Tanner Houck, Hunter Dobbins, Kutter Crawford, and Patrick Sandoval all ended the season on the 60-Day IL. Payton Tolle (2@) and Connelly Early (23) were called up in mid-to-late September and pitched big innings in October. New York Yankees: With Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, the Yankees have two of the top 10-12 starting pitchers in the league. Gerritt Cole and Clarke Schmidt needed Tommy John surgery in 2025 and would seem unlikely to be ready until maybe the second half of the 2026 season. Luis Gil came back from Tommy John surgery late this season and had some ups and downs, but he's got immense talent. Will Warren stepped up and pitched well at the bottom of the rotation. And Cam Schlitter (24) broke out late in the 2025 season. Do they need more starting pitching? Not as much as most teams, but we also know that 1.) there's never enough pitching depth and 2.) the Yankees are going to add some pitching. New York Mets: Kodai Senga, when healthy, has been very good. In addition, Sean Manaea can be quite good, though he's inconsistent. David Peterson has really stepped up the last couple of years and become very reliable. Jonah Tong came up and did well late in the season. But there are nothing but question marks beyond that. Frankly, the Mets should go all-in on Skubal, and even if they get him, they could still go after Ryan too. San Diego Padres: Cease and King will be free agents. Nestor Cortes and Yu Darvish are shells of what they once were. Randy Vasquez is a huge question mark? The Padres ownership situation may be in a stranger situation than even the Twins. They have a lot of offense talent on big contracts. But they traded approximately half of their top 20 prospects at the deadline this year, leaving it difficult to believe that they would present the Twins with a package necessary to acquire Ryan. Arizona Diamondbacks: Gallen and Kelly are free agents. Can Eduardo Rodriguez stay healthy. Can Brandon Pfaadt take a step forward? Presumably Corbin Burnes will miss most of the 2026 season. Arizona quietly spends money. Baltimore Orioles: After two or three seasons of competing in the AL East, the O's dropped to last place in 2025. Do they think they're close enough with some injury returns to make a move? San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey is making moves. #OldFriend JP Martinez is the pitching coach, and they have done well with the likes of Brandon Webb, but they have had a lot of injuries. Justin Verlander is a free agent and should probably retire. Robbie Ray? In addition, this would be sort of a coming home for Ryan. Chicago Cubs: What will happen with Shota Imanaga? How much of 2026 will Justin Steele miss? Can Matthew Boyd do it again? Can they rely on Jaeson Taillon? How many innings can they get from Cade Horton? St. Louis Cardinals: Hey, Ryan would get another season with Sonny Gray. They can use started pitching, and they have some pitching prospects. And Chaim Bloom has taken over the as the Cardinals' President of Baseball Operations after the 2025 season. Bloom held that role for the Rays when they drafted him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. You could make a case that several other teams might be interested in trading for Ryan during the offseason. The Angels could certainly use Joe Ryan. The important thing here is that there should be a ton of legitimate competition from teams trying to acquire Joe Ryan this offseason. Check back later and we'll take a look at what packages could look like from these teams? View full article

Catcher: Noah Cardenas, 26 (Wichita, St. Paul) 69 G, .245/.387/.438 (.824), 10 2B, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 42 BB, 51 K First Base: Aaron Sabato, 26 (Wichita, St. Paul) 109 G, .261/.327/.481 (.809), 18 2B, 1 3B, 23 HR, 68 RBI, 38 BB, 129 K, 1 SB. Second Base: Kyle DeBarge, 22 (Cedar Rapids) 121 G, .237/.347/.362 (.709), 23 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 65 RBI, 70 BB, 121 K, 66 SB. Third Base: Danny De Andrade, 21 (Cedar Rapids) 121 G, .229/.317/.387 (.704), 26 2B, 8 3B, 9 HR, 58 RBI, 43 BB, 115 K, 15 SB. Shortstop: Kaelen Culpepper, 22 (Cedar Rapids, Wichita) 113 G, .289/.375/.469 (.844), 16 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 64 RBI, 77 R, 50 BB, 90 K, 25 SB Left Field: Kyler Fedko, 26 (Wichita, St. Paul) 130 G, .258/.367/.487 (.855), 25 2B, 28 HR, 82 RBI, 91 R, 79 BB, 120 K, 38 SB Center Field: Walker Jenkins, 20 (Fort Myers, Wichita, St. Paul) 84 G, .286/.399/.451 (.850), 17 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 34 RBI, 56 R, 50 BB, 76 K, 17 SB Right Field: Kala’i Rosario, 23 (Wichita) 130 G, .256/.358/.487 (.844), 30 2B, 5 3B, 25 HR, 83 RBI, 92 R, 73 BB, 159 K, 32 SB Designated Hitter: Gabriel Gonzalez, 21 (Cedar Rapids, Wichita, St. Paul) 123 G, .329/.395/.513 (.909), 38 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 66 RBI, 75 R, 48 BB, 80 K, 8 SB Utility: Brandon Winokur, 20 (Cedar Rapids) 122 G, .226/.304/.388 (.693), 20 2B, 3 3B, 17 HR, 68 RBI, 26 SB. Lifetime Achievement Award Bat Boy - Jon Jon (Cedar Rapids) And just one more video highlight. Kala'i Rosario provides the walk-off. View full article

I think Ohl and Adams have already moved to the bullpen in the eyes of the organization. Prielipp ended the season making all his starts. He got through the program. To me, that's a pretty good sign for him to keep starting, at least for another half season. If he's in AAA dominating and the Twins have five strong starters that they want to keep them all starting or Prielipp still under innings limits, he could come up in the bullpen. Raya spent the last month pitching 1-2 innings out of the bullpen. It's possible they've determined that already, or it was just late in the season and they had new arms they wanted to see up close before the offseason. As noted above, I think Morris is a starter.

It is just really hard to know right now where anyone fits. It has the potential to be a crazy offseason. Will they do anything in free agency? Have they already determined if some of the starters will be moved to the bullpen already next year? Will Pablo, Joe and Bailey still be here? Looking back to 2024, Morris was maybe 6 weeks behind Zebby in terms of promotions and put up nearly equivalent numbers. Look to spring training and Morris was given an extended look, certainly longer than normal for guys who would certainly be starting in AAA. And, he was impressive. But then it was ups and downs with much of that being related to injury. No surgery is always a good thing. He ended the season strong. He doesn't throw as hard as Zebby, Festa, Taj, Abel, but he's got better control and command. He also has multiple plus pitches while still throwing 94-96. I believe he is a starter. I would certainly keep him starting and give him time. He'll certainly be added to the 40-man roster in November. And that gives him lots of wiggle room to keep improving and work on things. Like you, I didn't watch him pitch as much this season as the year before, and when I did, I really tried to remember that he wasn't at 100% That said, the stuff was still good, and he finished the season very good.

Starting Pitchers LHP Dasan Hill, 19 (Fort Myers, Cedar Rapids) 3.19 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 83 K, 31.3 K%, 40 BB, 15.0 BB%, 62 IP (19 GS) LHP Connor Prielipp, 24 (Wichita, St. Paul) 4.03 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 98 K, 31 BB, 82 2/3 IP (23 GS, 24 G) RHP C.J. Culpepper, 23 (Wichita) 2.43 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 53 K, 21.2 K%, 31 BB, 12.4 BB%, 59 1/3 IP (17 GS) RHP John Klein, 23 (Wichita, St. Paul) 3.98 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 128 K, 27.6 K%, 37 BB, 8.0 BB%, 106 1/3 IP (15 GS, 31 G) Relief Pitchers RHP Pierson Ohl, 25 (Fort Myers, Wichita, St. Paul) 24 G, 5-3, 2 Saves, 2.40 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 71 1/3 IP, 58 H, 11 BB, 86 K LHP Kade Bragg, 24 (Fort Myers, Cedar Rapids, Wichita) 42 G, 8-2, 5 Saves, 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 67 1/3 IP, 45 H, 31 BB, 82 K RHP Hunter Hoopes, 25 (Fort Myers, Cedar Rapids, Wichita) 42 G, 6-5, 2 Saves, 3.27 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 52 1/3 IP, 25 H, 23 BB, 64 K RHP Mike Paredes, 25 (Wichita, St. Paul) 38 G, 11-0, 7 Saves, 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 105 2/3 IP, 79 H, 28 BB, 92 K For much more Twins Daily content on these Twins Daily Minor League All Star Pitchers. click their link below: Dasan Hill, Connor Prielipp, CJ Culpepper, John Klein, Pierson Ohl, Kade Bragg, Hunter Hoopes, Mike Paredes. View full article

Image courtesy of © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images On Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins announced that they had claimed utilityman Ryan Kreidler off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 27-year-old became available on the waiver wire on Monday when the Pirates DFAd him in favor of outfielder Will Robertson. A native of northern California, Kreidler went to UCLA. In 2019, he was the fourth-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers. He moved fairly quickly up the organizational ladder and was called up in September of 2022 to make his debut. In 26 games that year, he hit .178 which, unfortunately is easily the best batting average he has put up in short big-league stints in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 89 games over four years with the Tigers, he hit a combined .138/.208/.176 (.383) with one double and two home runs. In the big leagues, he has played 42 games at shortstop, 24 games at third base, 19 games in center field, five games at second base, and one game in left field. In 2023, he missed time with a knee injury and then later had surgery for a core-muscle injury. In 2024, he had surgery on the index finger of his throwing hand and missed significant time. In late August this season, the Tigers DFAd Kreidler, and he was claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He spent a week on the Pirates big-league roster but didn't get into a game. Will he remain on the Twins 40-man roster throughout the offseason? We shall see. However, he is were to be DFAd and cleared waivers, he will become a free agent. He is also out of options after this season. MORE TRANSACTIONS Minor league transactions just kind of happen here and there throughout the offseason as needed. The Twins recently made a couple of moves. First, Erasmo Ramirez was able to elect free agency and did just that. Previously, Noah Davis, Darren McCaughan and Brooks Kriske elected free agency as well. RHP Sebastian Pulido was released. The 19-year-old pitched in just six games for the FCL Twins in 2025. In 9 1/3 innings, he had a 5.79 ERA, had five walks and struck out 11 batters. 22-year-old Venezuelan right-hander Anthony Narvaez was also released. In 2025, he pitched in five games for the FCL Twins and seven games for Fort Myers. Combined, he worked 16 2/3 innings and had a 2.70 ERA, eight walks and 14 strikeouts. He signed with the Twins in March of 2022. He spent significant time on the injured lists each of the past three seasons. Tyler Stasiowski signed with the Twins in August of 2024 as a non-drafted free agent out of the University of California. He pitched in just three games late in the 2024 season. He spent the 2025 season with the Mussels. In 35 games and 47 innings, the 24-year-old posted a 6.70 ERA and had 22 walks and 45 strikeouts. He was released last week. Peyton Carr was the Twins 10th round pick in 2024 out of High Point University. He played in 84 games this season for Fort Myers and hit .226/.332/.322 (.654) with nine doubles, two homers and four homers. He moved up to Cedar Rapids late in the year and went 1-for-8 (.125) over three games. The hit was a double. The 23-year-old Fort Myers native was released as well. And finally, what will certainly be a surprise to no one, the Twins released LHP Matt Mikulski as well. In 2021, the Giants made him their second-round pick. That season at Fordham (his fourth season there), he went 9-0 and had 124 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings. In 2022, he went 4-5 with a 6.95 ERA in 18 starts (22 games). Then in 2023 at High-A, he posted a 6.75 ERA and had 54 walks and 71 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings. He made the move to the bullpen early that season. He repeated the level in 2024 and posted a 5.58 ERA with 41 walks and 55 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings. At the end of spring training in 2025, the Giants released him. In late May, the Astros signed him. He posted a 16.88 ERA in three outings in the FCL. He moved up to High-A and posted a 5.68 ERA in 12 2/3 innings over nine appearances. And then the Twins and Astros began talking about Carlos Correa. On deadline day, the Twins sent Correa back to the Astros in exchange for the southpaw Mikulski. The Twins knew what they were getting, and that was a whole bunch of cost savings to Correa over the coming years. He posted a 10.13 ERA in six games with the Kernels and had 13 walks, two hit batters and seven strikeouts in his 5 1/3 innings in Cedar Rapids. Again, no surprised he was released. View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images RHP Michael Tonkin Age on Opening Day 2026: 36 Service Time: 5 years, 44 days. 2023 Salary: $750,000 2024 Salary: $1,000,000 2025 Salary: $1,000,000 MLB Trade Rumor Estimate: $1.4 million Background A California native, the Twins drafted Michael Tonkin in the 30th round of the 2008 draft. His “claim to fame” at that point was being Jason Kubel’s brother-in-law. He has carved out a pretty solid career of his own to this point. He made his MLB debut with nine games in 2013. He pitched in 141 games (149 K in 146 1/3 innings) for the Twins from 2013 through 2018. In 2018, he pitched in Japan. He came back to the States in 2019 but pitched in a variety of cities and leagues. In 2019, he pitched for Long Island (Atlantic League), Reno (Diamondbacks) and Nashville (Brewers). Like most, he didn’t pitch in 2020. He returned to Long Island in 2021 but also pitched some for Tijuana in the Mexican League. He signed with the Braves in 2022 and pitched well for Triple-A Gwinnett. He was 5-2, had 16 saves, and dominated with 73 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 48 1/3 innings. He pitched in one game for Gwinnett in 2023 before making his return to the big leagues after five years out of the league. He pitched in 45 games for Atlanta and was 7-3 with a save in 80 innings. 2024 was a transaction-filled season for Tonkin. He signed with the Mets in the offseason and pitched in three games before being DFAd. The Twins claimed him on April 9th. He gave up two runs over two innings in one game before the Twins DFAd him. The Mets claimed him and he pitched in back-to-back games against the Dodgers before they DFAd him again. The Yankees claimed him, and he made two appearances in April. That means that he pitched for four MLB teams in MLB games before the calendar turned to May. Fortunately, he was able to stick in The Bronx for a while. He gave up just two earned runs in MayHe gave up two earned runs in 13 appearances in June. He struggled in July and gave up runs in six of his 10 outings, but never more than two runs. In August, he pitched in seven games and gave up runs in four of them including three runs twice. The Yankees DFAd him near the end of August. The Twins were mid-collapse, so he pitched in 20 games for the Twins to end the season. Overall in 13 games for the Twins, he posted a 3.86 ERA. In 16 1/3 innings, he had seven walks and 22 strikeouts. Combined with his success with the Yankees, the Twins tendered him a contract for 2025, avoiding arbitration. 2025 Season Tonkin came to spring training and in March, he was diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain. He began a rehab assignment in late April but after just one game he was pulled off of the rehab assignment because of biceps tendinitis. He went on the 60-Day Injured List. A month later (early June), he returned to the Saints to continue his rehab. It wasn’t long before Tonkin came off of the IL and was DFAd. Unclaimed, he stayed with the Twins and continued pitching for the Saints. He began July with six games in which he went 8 1/3 innings and gave up no runs on one hit and two walks. He had 11 strikeouts. He was back. He made one more appearance in St. Paul before rejoining the big league club. Shortly after the trade deadline, he was thrown into more late-inning, high-leverage situations. He had a stretch of six games in mid-August in which he gave up no runs over 7 2/3 innings. In that stretch, he gave up no hits, walked three and struck out seven. It was a season of ups and downs. Twins 2025 Stats: 21 G, 24 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 19 K, 4.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP Twins Depth at his Position (Right-Handed Relief Pitchers) 40-man roster: Travis Adams, David Festa, Thomas Hatch, Cody Laweryson, Pierson Ohl, Arbitration-Eligible: Cole Sands, Justin Topa, Triple-A: Marco Raya (40), Cory Lewis, Jarret Whorff, Matt Canterino, Double-A: Mike Paredes, Jacob Wosinski, Hunter Hoopes, John Stankiewicz, Summary: This is kind of a weird summary to write since an MLB bullpen will likely include eight relief pitchers, and one or two are left-handed, so there are options. The other thing to consider is Triple-A starters and young MLB guys could move to the bullpen and take a spot. So, this is certainly not a full list. Could David Festa and/or Zebby Matthews move to the bullpen? Could Connor Prielipp impress enough in spring training or early in the season to be considered for a bullpen job? The best story would be Matt Canterino being fully healthy and finally getting a Why the Twins Should Offer Him Arbitration First and foremost, in today’s game, $1.4 million is not much money. While I can’t imagine anyone seeing Tonkin as a late-inning, high-leverage option at this point, Tonkin still has enough velocity and a solid sweeper when he is on. He can be a solid middle-innings innings eater who can also handle the stress of a tough situation and come back again. There is value in having a couple of veterans on a roster and in a bullpen. It may be even more important in what could be a difficult season in 2026. While the future may be for the 20 somethings, guys who throw harder and have a certain presence, having a guy who has been there and done that, seem ups and downs, and played in different environments around the world. Granted, you don’t necessarily pay a lot for those intangibles and experience, there is value in it. Why the Twins Should Non-Tender Him The Twins do have a lot of arms that could pitch in the big leagues in 2026. We saw several young pitchers make their debuts this year. Pitchers like Travis Adams, Pierson Ohl, and Cody Laweryson got their first taste of the big leagues in 2026. Depending on trade plans surrounding the current top starters, there could be enough starting pitchers that some couple be moved into the bullpen and get called up. Guys like Connor Prielipp and Marco Raya who had starts and innings and pitch limits could come up and pitch three innings twice a week or something. Could flamethrowers like Festa, Matthews, Bradley or Abel go the Varland Route and dominate out of the bullpen? With so many arms hopefully earning opportunities, it would be easy to say a guy like Tonkin could be non-tendered particularly if you don’t believe that player won’t be willing or able to share lessons learned and their experiences to help the young players. (There is unquantifiable value in that, no question!) Projection Honestly, I think that the Twins should attempt to do with Tonkin what they did last year. It would appear that the Twins went to Tonkin and his representatives with a dollar value they were comfortable with. Last year that was $1 million. Maybe for 2026 that number can be $1 million to $1.15 million. It is enough that it’s worth the player taking, knowing if they’re non-tendered, they’re more likely to get a minor-league deal with nothing guaranteed. In addition, the Twins have used the tactic of signing a reliever each year to a deal maybe 25% over the league minimum. That way, the Twins can DFA him knowing that he isn’t likely to be claimed. They can get him to Triple-A and keep him pitching, ready to rejoin the big league club as needed. We’ve seen that in recent years with Jharel Cotton, Jay Jackson, and even Tonkin last year. If Tonkin isn’t willing to sign for the $1 million to $1.15 million offer, then I would non-tender him. I’d try to offer him a minor-league contract with a spring invitation, but he might get other offers. And, frankly, the Twins (and all other teams) will sign multiple pitchers to minor-league details that can fill a similar role. What do you think about Michael Tonkin, and his potential role in 2026? Consider his stats and your observations when watching him pitch, and his pitches, are there reasons they should keep him? Easy DFA? Work out some other agreement? What would you do? View full article

Just FYI... I completely agree that Prielipp should continue starting, at least to start the season. But if they're still semi-competitive in June/July, and they've got 5-6 starters who are all doing just fine, and the bullpen has a need, I have no problem with turning to him. At this point, who knows if Lopez, Ryan, or Ober will be back. What will they do with Zebby and Festa and Adams, etc? Zebby, Bradley, Abel, SWR, all ended the season strong. Lots of unknowns.

Image courtesy of © Denny Medley-Imagn Images LHP Genesis Cabrera Age on Opening Day 2026: 29 Service Time: 5 years, 149 days. 2023 Salary: $950,000 2024 Salary: $1,512,500 2025 Salary: MILB Contract 2026 MLB Trade Rumor Estimate: $1.4 million Background Born in the Dominican Republic, Genesis Cabrera signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in November of 2013. He went to the Cardinals in a trade deadline deal that sent Tommy Pham to the Rays. He made his MLB debut as a 22-year-old in May of 2019 and since then has pitched in 312 big-league games. He spent parts of five seasons in St. Louis before being a deadline acquisition of the Blue Jays in 2023. He stayed in Toronto through the 2024 season. 2025 Season Cabrera signed a minor-league deal with the Mets. After a month in the minors, he was called up to the Mets. He made six appearances before being DFAd. The Cubs claimed him, and he pitched in nine games over about a month on the North Side. He was again DFAd, but this time he was claimed by the Pirates. He pitched in nine games before being released by the Pirates. Shortly after, the Twins had just traded more than half of their bullpen. They signed him to a minor-league contract in early August. He pitched in one game for the Saints before the Twins called him up. He spent the final six weeks of the season in the big leagues. 2025 Stats (Overall): 40 G, 42 2/3 IP, 46 H, 18 BB, 35 K, 6.54 ERA, 1.50 WHIP. 2025 Stats (Twins): 16 G, 14 2/3 IP, 17 H, 11 BB, 13 K, 7.98 ERA, 1.91 WHIP. Twins Depth at his Position (Left-Handed Pitcher): Kody Funderburk - 40-man roster Anthony Misiewicz - Arbitration-Eligible Triple-A: Aaron Rozek, Christian MacLeod, Kendry Rojas, Connor Prielipp Double-A: Gabriel Yanez, Kade Bragg, Jaylen Nowlin, Summary: I would assume that the Twins will want to keep Kendry Rojas and Connor Prielipp as starters, at least early in the season. Bragg is probably the top left-handed relief pitcher prospect in the organization. Why the Twins Should Offer Him Arbitration At this time, Cabrera, Anthony Misiewicz and Kody Funderburk are the lone lefties on the Twins 40-man roster. Like Cabrera, Misiewicz is also arbitration eligible. Cabrera has had success in the big leagues. He throws hard and is still on the right side of 30. If Pete Maki (or whoever the Twins' pitching coach is) thinks there is something there, then bring him in. Why the Twins Should Non-Tender Him Cabrera was a minor-league signing a year ago and pitched for four teams during the 2025 season. His stats were not good, so there is no reason to think he’s earned a big-league contract. At this stage, he’s a replacement level type of player. I mean, that’s what he was for the Twins. They traded seven pitchers and five starters in late July; the Twins needed arms. He became a free agent about that time, and the Twins used him as a lefty reliever to finish out the season. Projection: I think that it is an easy decision to non-tender Genesis Cabrera. However, with a fastball at 95 and a sometimes-solid slider, it isn’t crazy to think that with a couple of tweaks, he could again become a solid reliever. He’s also left-handed. He would be a guy I would try to bring back with a minor-league contract with an invitation to big-league spring training. Relievers are volatile from year to year. We’ve seen it many times. One year can be bad and the next solid. What do you think about Genesis Cabrera? Consider his stats and your observations when watching him pitch, and his pitches, are there reasons they should keep him? Easy DFA? Work out some other agreement? What would you do? View full article

Image courtesy of © Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images The Twins have been in Minnesota for about 65 years. One of the players who came to Minnesota from Washington was Harmon Killebrew. When people attempt to create a list of the top players in the team’s history, Killebrew remains at the top of that list. When looking at the Twins record book, a large percentage of categories have Killebrew’s name right at the top. “Killer” played a total of 22 seasons in the big leagues. He spent parts of seven seasons with the Senators and then spent the 1961 through 1974 in a Twins uniform. He ended his career with a season with the Royals. He played in the 1965 World Series when the Twins lost in seven games to the Dodgers. He hit 573 home runs. He won an MVP (1969). He finished second once, third once, and fourth two times. He played in 13 All Star games. He led the league in home runs six times and in RBI three times. He also led the league in walks four times and had seven seasons in which he walked at least 100 times. Inexplicably, it took the Baseball Writers four ballots to vote him into the Hall of Fame, an honor he finally received in 1984. Harmon Killebrew was a great baseball player, but those who knew him will always talk about how kind he was and how much he did for people in the community. Following his career, he was involved in several endeavors. He spent time in the ‘80s as a color analyst on broadcasts. He was active in the Twins community and at events. He grew up in Payette, Idaho. In 2011, at the age of 74, he passed away due to cancer in 2011. The Twins decided to continue the Killebrew legacy of community work by creating the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service. Each season, the organization recognizes one player from each of the Twins four full-season affiliates. Each affiliate’s General Manager nominates players and lets the organization know what type of community work the players have done. Recently, the Twins announced their 2025 Killebrew Award winners. St. Paul Saints: C Noah Cardenas Noah Cardenas has been doing good in his communities for many years. In fact, he received the Killebrew Award in 2002 at Fort Myers and in 2023 in Cedar Rapids. Cardenas, who turned 26 during the season’s final month, began the 2025 season in Wichita. In 30 games, he was hitting .257/.409/.416 (.825) with seven doubles and three home runs. In mid-June, he earned his promotion to St. Paul. In 39 games, he hit .234/.364/.458 (.822) with three doubles and seven RBI. He was remarkably consistent with the bat. Just look at the consistency in the OPS. Defensively, he’s always been consistently strong behind the plate. The UCLA product has also been very consistent off the field. He joined the Saints on June 10th, and he happily spent a ton of time in the community right away, consistently volunteering for pretty much anything. Specifically, he made four visits to the Children’s Hospital Star Studio. He visited patients in their rooms. He participated in a couple of baseball camps. He volunteered at Catholic Charities and served meals to the less fortunate. That wasn’t set up by the Saints. He did it on his own, just because he wants to serve people. Over his pro career (as evidenced through these awards), he has helped a lot of people, signed a lot of autographs, and put a lot of smiles on the faces of fans and especially the kids who get to chat with him. Wichita Wind Surge: RHP Ricky Castro Castro had a nice first-full season in the Twins organization in 2025. He pitched in 28 games including 15 starts, all with the Wind Surge. He went 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA. In his 95 1/3 innings, he had 93 strikeouts to just 31 walks. He was happy to have that opportunity to play the full season in Wichita and a part of the community. Castro, who turned 26 in August, was involved in a variety of community activities. He recently said, “Some ways we were involved in the community included construction with Habitat for Humanity, visiting patients in Wesley Children’s Hospital, interacting with dogs and their fosters for Kansas Humane Society. Some teammates were involved with The Lord’s Diner and Wichita Food Bank to feed the community from different angles.” Always humble, he added, “It’s such an honor and privilege to win this award. However, the award speaks for itself as it’s not about me in the slightest. I’ve learned that humans are all in this together, no matter our background or current situation. Seeing one another as greater than yourself and finding ways to serve others is how I want to live. So I’m grateful we had so many opportunities this summer.” If you hadn’t heard much about Castro, here is the way-too-quick summary that brought him to the Twins and the 2025 season. Castro grew up a Cubs fan in Naperville, Illinois. After high school, he spent a year at Parkland College. He went to Purdue the following year but pitched in just three games due to the Covid season. He pitched in 27 games for the Boilermakers over the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He used his fifth year as a graduate student at Tulane. In 18 games, he made 16 starts and had 85 strikeouts to just 18 walks in 79 2/3 innings. He went undrafted and spent that summer with the Joliet Slammers in the independent Frontier League. That’s where he began the 2024 season, but after three starts, the Twins signed him in late May. He pitched in eight games for the Mighty Mussels and then moved up to Cedar Rapids where he pitched in seven games. Castro noted, “Since my time with the Twins, I’ve learned more about who Harmon Killebrew was as both a player and a person. He left an incredible legacy on and off the field. Outside of his Hall of Fame career, he is remembered for his humility, kindness, and eagerness to generously serve others. I admire how he brought the community together to support cancer research through his foundation and how he created opportunities for children with disabilities to play baseball at Miracle League fields. All in all, he treated people with kindness and compassion, which is something I strive to do.” Cedar Rapids Kernels: RHP Nick Trabacchi Castro took a roundabout route to affiliated ball. Nick Trabacchi’s route was equally circuitous. But once he got to the Twins, he made a strong impression, especially in the Cedar Rapids community. He signed with the Twins in late May and assigned him to the Kernels. Almost immediately, he became quite active with many of the community events that the Kernels participate in. He joined other players at the stadium for a youth baseball camp. He also spent time at the Veteran’s Administration (VA). In fact, he called it, “My favorite event.” He continued, “I know many that have served in the military or still serve for us. (I) was honored to express my appreciation to those who were there, but actually, they all had some awesome (and funny) stories, and I just had a great time.” The 26-year-old spent hours talking to veterans in their hospital rooms. He spent quite a bit of time just standing near the front door, greeting veterans and their families. Of the award, Trabacci said, “I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award. All of my teammates were just as deserving which makes it that much more special for me.” Nick Trabacchi grew up on Long Island. After graduating from Smithtown high school, he went to Maryland-Baltimore County. A fracture in his back cut his freshman year short, and he pitched in 2019 with a back brace. As a junior, he transferred to Division II Shepherd University. He made just two starts before Covid ended that 2020 season. He made 23 appearances over the next two seasons at Shepherd. Undrafted, he went the independent route. From 2022 through April of 2025, he spent time in the Pecos League, the Atlantic League, and the Frontier League in places like Bakersfield, Long Island, Empire State, Charleston, Quebec, and Hagerstown. This season, he was pitching for the New Jersey Jackals in the Frontier League. After eight appearances, he posted a 0.73 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. In 12 1/3 innings, he had 20 strikeouts and just one walk. He posted a 3.81 ERA over 20 games for the Kernels. In 28 1/3 innings, he had 28 strikeouts and 12 walks. He recently told Twins Daily, “I feel incredibly blessed that I get to play baseball and even more as a Twins player. I still recall all the awesome moments I had as a kid with ballplayers, and it kind of drives the way I view each community I’m part of each season.” He added, “Obviously Harmon Killebrew is a Twins icon, but he was known as being a better person than a baseball player… which is unreal because he’s in the Hall of Fame. I feel that’s the standard when we’re as fortunate as we are to be in the position we are as professionals.” Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: RHP Eli Jones After three seasons at the University of South Carolina, the Twins made him their seventh-round draft pick in the 2024 MLB draft. He made his professional debut in 2025 with the Mighty Mussels. He went 2-10 over 23 games (18 starts) with a 5.13 ERA. In exactly 100 innings, he had 84 strikeouts and 40 walks. Off the field, he made a strong impression on the organization and in the Fort Myers community. Mussels’ General Manager Judd Loveland said, “Eli Jones has been a leader in the Mussels’ clubhouse throughout his first professional season. He goes above and beyond with his interactions with the Fort Myers fans and community.” Congratulations to each of these players on their well-earned and well-deserved recipients of the Killebrew Award. View full article

I completely believe that Buxton has meant everything he has said about the Twins and the community and wanting to stay, and "I'm not going anywhere." But he's 31, he's put in his time, and if there are no other veterans (Pablo, Ryan, etc.), I will not blame him at all for being willing to accept a trade. I'd be happy for him if he was traded to Atlanta so his family would be at or near home.

Which doesn't matter even a little bit.

Laweryson, not a lefty...

I don't think he really got tired so much as they were working the plan. The plan both in terms of innings or pitches, but also what he was throwing and how much. The fact that he ended the season with six strong innings for St. Paul is very encouraging. He's definitely put himself on the map as a guy we could see in some role in 2026.