Sam Caulder

Image courtesy of Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Leading up to the 2026 trade deadline, there was plenty of speculation about what the Twins would do. Ultimately, they wound up being buyers, adding four arms to the pitching staff in an effort to make a playoff push. Unfortunately, the Twins fell short and were eliminated over the weekend. But that’s not necessarily because of the moves they made at the deadline. Most of the players they acquired have actually performed pretty well since arriving in Minnesota, and several of them will remain with the team beyond this season. So now that we’re reaching the end of the season, let’s go back and re-grade each of the Twins’ deadline moves, to see how they look with the benefit of hindsight. Twins receive: RHP Tommy Nance Blue Jays receive: C Ryan Sprock Trade Grade: B Nance was the first addition the Twins made at the deadline, and for a while, this was looking like a complete steal. After arriving from Toronto, Nance put together an excellent month of August. He finished the month with a 1.74 ERA over 10 1/3 innings, striking out 14 batters while walking just two. That looked like exactly what the Twins needed from a bullpen addition. Minnesota had struggled mightily in the first half of the season, but the bullpen turned things around in a major way, and Nance quickly looked like another reliable option. But then September rolled around. He currently owns an 8.64 ERA over 8 1/3 innings this month, and his sudden collapse has felt pretty fitting with the rest of the team. After looking like one of the better relievers in the bullpen, he's struggled to sustain those results down the stretch. Still, I’m going to give this move a B. Nance has multiple years of team control remaining, and if his August numbers are any indication, he’s capable of helping this team. One bad month shouldn’t completely erase what he showed earlier in the season. The Twins also have plenty of catching talent in the minor leagues. While Sprock could certainly turn into something down the road, I’ll take the proven arm with multiple years of control (even if the volatility of relievers of his quality and his age make it unlikely that he sticks around for long). Twins receive: LHP A.J. Minter Mets receive: INF Billy Amick and INF Bruin Agbayani Trade Grade: C The A.J. Minter trade is the one that looks the worst with the benefit of hindsight. Minter was acquired from the Mets in exchange for Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani, and while I liked the thought process behind the move at the time, it was a deal focused on a goal the team didn't even approximate. Hindsight is always 20/20, but Minter is a free agent after this season. Maybe the Twins bring him back; maybe they don’t. But they traded two infielders with some upside for an aging bullpen arm, while still falling short of the postseason. To be fair, Minter hasn’t been bad. He currently owns a 2.70 ERA with the Twins, giving Minnesota exactly what it hoped to get from him when the trade was made. He's been a reliable left-handed option in the bullpen and addressed an obvious need at the time. The problem is what happens next. If the Twins want Minter back in 2027, they’re going to have to pay him. If they don’t bring him back, Minnesota will have traded two prospects for (essentially) two months of a middle reliever. Amick and Agbayani both have plenty to prove, but they also have upside. That makes it tougher to look at this deal favorably now than it was when the Twins were still fighting for a playoff spot. Twins receive: RHP Dean Kremer Orioles receive: OF Jhomnardo Reyes Trade Grade: A- Kremer had really struggled in Baltimore this year, posting a 6.50 ERA before the trade. Since joining the Twins, however, that number has dropped to 3.80, and he has a 3.82 FIP to go along with it. One of the biggest differences has been his ability to limit hard contact. Kremer has significantly cut back on the amount of hard contact he allows, and the results have followed. The other major factor here is his contract situation. Unlike Minter, Kremer isn’t a rental. He’s under team control for next season as well, meaning (assuming that they tender him a contract and pay him the $7-8 million he's in line to earn) the Twins will have a legitimate starting pitcher who can stabilize the back end of the rotation beyond 2026. That could be especially valuable for a team that has dealt with so many pitching injuries in recent years. The Twins gave up outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes in exchange for Kremer. He’s only 18 years old, so it’s far too early to know what he’ll become. There’s definitely a chance Reyes turns into something for Baltimore. But when comparing what an 18-year-old prospect could become to what Kremer has already shown he can provide at the major-league level, I’ll take the back-end starter in this deal. Twins receive: RHP Jeff Hoffman Blue Jays receive: LHP Dasan Hill, RHP John Klein and INF Dameury Pena Trade Grade: B+ The Jeff Hoffman trade was the final move the Twins made at the deadline, and it was also the most expensive deal they made. But Hoffman has been excellent. He currently owns a 2.12 ERA and a 1.98 FIP across 17 innings as a Twin, along with a staggering 26 strikeouts and 10 walks. He has quickly established himself as one of Minnesota’s most reliable late-inning options. He's also under contract beyond this season. The Twins didn’t just acquire a reliever who could help them for two months. They added someone who should continue to be part of their bullpen in 2027. I don’t love giving up Dasan Hill. It’s rare to find left-handed starters with his ability, and there’s certainly a chance he turns into a valuable major-league pitcher. There are also some kinks Toronto will have to work out with him, particularly when it comes to his command. The same thing goes for John Klein and Dameury Pena, the other two prospects the Twins gave up in the deal. All three have some level of upside, and it’s always difficult to know how those prospects will develop once they leave the organization. But I’ll take the proven, controllable late-inning reliever with filthy stuff over what could be with the three prospects. Hoffman has already shown exactly what he can do in Minnesota, and the Twins still get him beyond this season. The Twins ultimately fell short of the postseason, but that doesn’t mean every trade they made at the deadline was a mistake. Three of the four players they acquired are likely to be back next season, and all four have shown something that could make them useful pieces moving forward. That the team fell short is not the fault of the new arrivals, and realistically, there was little more the front office could have done at the deadline to position themselves for success. View full article

Image courtesy of Denny Medley - IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Twins’ reliever Yoendrys Gómez has been one of the biggest positive storylines across the team's 2026 season. After being acquired from Tampa Bay for mere cash considerations back on May 6, Gómez quickly established himself as one of the most reliable arms in the Twins’ bullpen. In fact, you could make an argument that he’s been the team’s best reliever since arriving in Minnesota. Across 47 innings as a Twin, Gómez owns a 3.83 ERA and a 3.54 FIP. That kind of production quickly turned him into the Twins’ closer, and he has been extremely reliable in that role. He has gone 21-for-23 on save opportunities since arriving in Minnesota. If you looked at just that stat, you might be a little confused by the question I’m about to propose: Should Yoendrys Gómez remain the Twins’ closer in 2027? Despite his impressive reliability in the ninth inning this year, there are some reasons to be skeptical about whether this level of success is sustainable. The underlying data would indicate that there has been A LOT of luck involved in Gómez’s results this season. His expected ERA sits at 5.74, which is significantly higher than the 3.83 ERA he has posted since joining the Twins. Now, some of that inflated expected ERA comes from his struggles with the Rays earlier this season. But the majority of his season has come in Minnesota, so it’s not like the Twins can simply chalk all of those underlying numbers up to his time in Tampa Bay. One of the biggest reasons for that inflated expected ERA is the quality of contact he has allowed. His hard-hit rate of 44.9% ranks in just the fifth percentile among MLB pitchers. That’s concerning for any pitcher, but it’s especially alarming for someone like Gómez. His ground-ball rate ranks in the first percentile among major league pitchers. Hard contact on the ground is one thing. Hard-hit fly balls and line drives are a completely different story. That’s not exactly the profile you want from your closer. There’s also the command piece of the equation. Gómez has walked 29 batters over those 47 innings with the Twins, which comes out to a 13.5% walk rate. Yes, relievers generally have higher walk rates than starting pitchers, and there are plenty of successful bullpen arms who can survive with less-than-perfect command. But 13.5% is still an extremely high number. Put all of that together, and there are some pretty obvious red flags beneath Gómez’s impressive results. That brings us to the big question the Twins will have to ask themselves this offseason: Does any of that actually matter if he’s getting the job done? As mentioned, Gómez has blown just two saves since arriving in Minnesota. However, both have come in his two most recent outings on Wednesday and Saturday. Outside of that, he has been incredibly effective in the role. So, does it really make sense for the Twins to move off of him? In my opinion, Gómez should start the 2027 season as the Twins’ primary closer. But that leash better be TIGHT, and I'd prefer to see more of a closer-by-committee situation. There's enough in Gómez’s profile to believe that he can be a quality reliever moving forward. He generates a good amount of whiffs, and his Stuff+ rating sits at 113, with 100 being league average. That’s the kind of pitch profile you want from a closer. The problem is that good stuff can only get you so far if you aren’t consistently locating it and are allowing too much hard contact. If the loud contact and command issues start catching up to Gómez next season, the Twins are going to have to be willing to make a change. Luckily for them, they already have another potential option. The Twins acquired Jeff Hoffman from Toronto at the trade deadline, and he has plenty of experience pitching in the ninth inning himself. Hoffman is also going to be paid like a closer next season, which makes it even more important for the Twins to give themselves some flexibility with how they handle the back end of the bullpen. He's had some struggles of his own in a lot of the same areas Gómez has, but there have also been several stretches of utter dominance over the course of his major league career. And going into next year, Hoffman may have some extra buzz with Gómez's late-season struggles. Baseball is a funny sport sometimes. This is a guy who has gone 21-for-23 in save opportunities this year, and here I am talking about his job security heading into next season. But that’s what makes Gómez such an interesting case. The results, for the most part, have been outstanding, and (in my opinion) he has earned the opportunity to enter 2027 in a high-leverage role because of it. At the same time, there are enough warning signs beneath the surface to make it clear that the Twins can’t afford to ignore what the underlying data is telling them. Eventually, the deeper numbers are probably going to catch up to Gómez. And this week might have been the tip of the iceberg. View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images At long last, Emmanuel Rodríguez is in the major leagues. After years of waiting to see one of the most talented offensive prospects in the Twins’ system reach Target Field, Rodríguez has arrived, and he's taken up a flexible role in what remains a shifting outfield picture for the team. With Rodríguez joining Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper, the Twins suddenly have a pretty clear glimpse at what their offense could look like next season (although Culpepper will spend at least the bulk of the remaining games on the injured list). The challenge is figuring out how to get all of those young players on the field. There’s essentially no way for the Twins to continue rolling out their traditional lineup with Rodríguez in the mix. In broad strokes, Rodríguez has taken over in left field against right-handed starters and in center field against southpaws, but there are plenty of other options the Twins could explore over the remainder of the season. The focus should be on the future. At this point, there’s no reason Rodríguez, Jenkins, and Luke Keaschall shouldn’t be the everyday outfielders. Keaschall already was one, and this is the perfect opportunity to get Rodríguez and Jenkins as many major-league reps as possible before they’re thrust into much more meaningful roles in 2027 and (hopefully) beyond. The Twins didn't finish the season the way they wanted, but that doesn’t mean the final week-plus has to be meaningless. In fact, these could be some of the most important games of the year. The future is now, and the top priority has to be getting those young players on the field. Of course, doing that is going to have a ripple effect throughout the rest of the roster. Trevor Larnach and Josh Bell could be the biggest casualties. Bell was already operating primarily as the team’s designated hitter. If he's healthy enough to take them, Larnach could start claiming some of those at-bats. The whole point of this exercise should be getting the best young players on the field and figuring out what this roster can look like moving forward. Moving players around simply to squeeze veterans into the lineup would defeat the purpose. Bell is the easiest player to push to the side. He’s a free agent after the season. Unless the Twins intend to bring him back, they need not prioritize his playing time over a player who could still be part of the organization’s long-term plans. Larnach is a little more interesting. Many expected him to be moved at the trade deadline to clear a path for players like Rodríguez and Jenkins. The Twins even had a deal in place to send him to Houston, before the Astros backed out at the last minute. Now, the writing is on the wall. Larnach probably isn’t part of the Twins’ future. If Jenkins, Rodríguez and Keaschall are all viewed as long-term pieces (and Byron Buxton is presumably going to remain in the outfield mix next season, as well), Larnach is redundant. I’d be pretty surprised if Larnach is still in Minnesota when the 2027 season begins. That’s also why the Twins’ lineups over these final few games will be so interesting. They have an opportunity to get creative, but they also have a chance to stop worrying so much about squeezing every possible veteran at-bat out of a lineup that isn’t going to the postseason. Instead, they can start figuring out what comes next. There will be no playoff baseball for the Twins this season, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to be excited about. Rodríguez’s arrival (combined with Jenkins, Keaschall, Culpepper, and the rest of the organization’s young talent) gives fans a reason to look forward to what’s coming. The Twins can afford to prioritize tomorrow over today. The future is now, and while that might mean some veterans see their playing time squeezed, I don’t think anyone in Twins Territory will complain. View full article

The results speak for themselves, but so do the underlying numbers. As the Twins look toward 2027, they’ll have to figure out how much they trust both sides of the Yoendrys Gómez equation. View full video

Image courtesy of Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley - 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 9 K (98 pitches, 65 strikes (66% strikes)) Home Runs: Walker Jenkins (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Yoendrys Gómez (-0.38), Kody Funderburk (-0.18), Josh Bell (-0.18) Win Probability Chart The Twins entered Thursday night's contest against the Angels looking to start their four-game set with a win. Instead, they found themselves in an early hole and spent most of the night trying to fight their way back. Los Angeles jumped on Taj Bradley for three runs in the first inning, but the right-hander settled in and completely shut the Angels down from there. Minnesota's offense, meanwhile, struggled to generate much of anything until the eighth inning, when a late rally finally gave them a chance. The Twins tied the game in the ninth on a massive Walker Jenkins homer, then took their first lead of the night in the 10th. Unfortunately, Los Angeles answered in the bottom half and walked it off, handing Minnesota a 5-4 loss and dropping the Twins to 71-82 on the season with just nine games remaining. TAJ BRADLEY TURNED THINGS AROUND AFTER A ROUGH FIRST Bradley couldn't have asked for a much worse start to Thursday night's game. After striking out Zach Neto on a curveball to begin the bottom of the first, Bradley walked Mike Trout and allowed Wade Meckler to single. That brought Moisés Ballesteros to the plate, and the Angels' catcher smoked a ball to center field to score Trout and give Los Angeles an early 1-0 lead. Things snowballed a bit from there. Denzer Guzman followed with another single to bring Meckler home before Oswald Peraza lined another ball into right field. Ballesteros scored on the play, and both Guzman and Peraza advanced on the throw to make it a 3-0 game. Bradley finally escaped the inning when José Siri struck out, but it took him 28 pitches to get through the first. After that, however, Bradley was outstanding. He retired the Angels in order in the second, getting Neto to swing through a curveball before Trout grounded out to Brooks Lee. He then worked another 1-2-3 inning in the third, retiring seven consecutive batters after the rough first. Bradley continued to cruise from there, striking out Neto for the third time in the fifth before retiring Trout and Meckler to end the inning. He then worked another quick 1-2-3 sixth and struck out Josh Lowe to end the seventh. After allowing three runs in the first, Bradley didn't allow another one. He finished his night with seven innings, three runs allowed and a staggering 20 whiffs on 98 pitches. Unfortunately, because the Twins' offense couldn't get anything going early, Bradley was still in line for the loss despite pitching seven dominant innings after the first. THE TWINS FINALLY FOUND SOME LIFE IN THE EIGHTH For most of the night, Minnesota's offense looked completely overmatched. The Twins managed just three hits through the first seven innings and couldn't put together a serious threat against Walbert Ureña. But that finally changed in the eighth. Walker Jenkins led off the inning with a single. Ben Ross ripped a double into left field. Suddenly, the Twins had runners on second and third with nobody out and their first real scoring opportunity of the night. Luke Keaschall couldn't capitalize, striking out looking, but Brooks Lee came through with a sacrifice fly to bring Jenkins home. That cut the deficit to 3-1. Kody Clemens then worked a walk to keep the inning alive, but Josh Bell struck out to strand two runners and end the threat. It wasn't quite the massive inning Minnesota needed, but it was enough to give the Twins some momentum heading into the ninth. And they would need every bit of it. WALKER JENKINS DELIVERED THE BIGGEST HIT OF HIS YOUNG CAREER The ninth inning provided the biggest moment of the night for the Twins. Ben Joyce came in looking to close out the game for Los Angeles, and he immediately showed why he's so difficult to hit. Emmanuel Rodriguez swung through a 102 MPH fastball for the first out before Royce Lewis got frozen by a 103 MPH heater on the outside corner. With the Twins down to their final out, Victor Caratini lined a single into center field to bring Jenkins to the plate as the tying run. He turned on a 101 MPH fastball and launched it out for a game-tying two-run homer, tying the game at three and giving him his third hit of the night on what was already the first multi-hit game of his major league career. It was a massive moment for the 22-year-old, especially considering how little the Twins' offense had been able to do throughout the first eight innings. Ross struck out to end the inning, but the damage had already been done. The Twins had come all the way back. And suddenly, extra innings were on the table. THE TWINS COULDN'T HOLD ON IN EXTRAS Minnesota finally took its first lead of the night in the top of the 10th. With Ben Ross starting the inning as the extra-inning runner, Keaschall opened the frame with a single through the left side. That kept Ross at third and put runners on the corners for Lee. Lee then smoked a 2-0 sinker into right field, bringing Ross home and giving the Twins their first lead of the night at 4-3. Clemens laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up, but Bell popped out and the Angels intentionally walked Ryan Jeffers to load the bases for Lewis. Unfortunately, Lewis struck out to end the inning, leaving Minnesota with just a one-run lead to protect. Yoendrys Gómez got the ball in the bottom half and immediately found himself in trouble. Pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom flew out to Austin Martin, but Siri tagged up and moved to third. Gómez then walked Neto, setting up a massive at-bat against Trout. Turns out, that's not the guy you want to face in a high-leverage spot. He lined a ball past Ross to score Siri and tie the game at four. That ended Gómez's night, with Kody Funderburk coming in to try to keep the game alive. Instead, the first pitch he threw was grounded into right field for a walk-off single. Just like that, the Twins went from finally taking their first lead of the night to walking off the field with a loss. Minnesota fought all the way back after trailing 3-0, tied the game in the ninth and took the lead in extras. But it wasn't enough. The Angels win 5-4. The Twins fall to 71-82, and with only nine games left in the season, Thursday's loss felt like another frustrating summary of how this season has gone for Minnesota. What’s Next? The Twins and Angels will continue their four-game series in Anaheim tomorrow night. Connor Prielipp is lined up to start for Minnesota, and he’s set to face off against right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. First pitch is set for 8:38 PM. Postgame Interviews Coming soon! Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images For a good portion of the 2026 season, the Minnesota Twins have had some pretty spotty defense at first base. Josh Bell, Victor Caratini and now Royce Lewis have all graded out as below-average defenders at the position this season. Bell is probably gone after this year, and Caratini could become the Twins’ primary catcher next season (if Ryan Jeffers leaves in free agency), anyway, There's a pretty obvious need for improvement at first base. That invites the question: Could the Twins already have their long-term answer somewhere in the organization? The most obvious candidate is, of course, Lewis. He's struggled a bit with the nuances of playmaking at his new position, but he's a plus receiver of throws, which makes up for some of the hiccups on grounders his way. The defensive numbers certainly aren’t encouraging. At the same time, Lewis is still a very good athlete who has shown flashes of brilliance at first. With an entire offseason to get more comfortable at the position, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think he could become at least an average defender there. Less clear is whether Lewis’s bat can hold up at first base. First basemen need to be one of the most productive offensive players in a lineup, and Lewis currently owns a sub-.700 OPS. That obviously isn’t going to cut it long-term. Still, I think it’s too early to say with any certainty that Lewis has no future at first base. It's fairer to say that he can't be the whole plan at the spot next year; he'd have to be a platoon or utility option. The only other player in the upper levels of the Twins' system who has primarily played first base is Aaron Sabato. It’s been a rocky road for the Twins’ 2020 first-round pick, but as the saying goes, better late than never. Sabato has shown some legitimately encouraging signs this season, posting an .898 OPS at Triple-A St. Paul with 55 extra-base hits in 109 games. That’s the kind of offensive profile you’d expect from a quality first baseman, and perhaps more importantly, both his walk and strikeout rates have improved significantly. For a player whose plate discipline has been one of the biggest questions throughout his professional career, that’s a very promising sign. There are glaring weaknesses in his game, and there are still few scouts who think his success would translate to the big leagues, but if he stays in the organization this winter, it would signal that the Twins are at least keeping an open mind. Then there’s Gabriel Gonzalez, the least conventional of the plausible options. Gonzalez doesn’t have the traditional frame you’d expect from a first baseman, at just 5-foot-10, but sometimes, guys that size make it work at the spot. He's already made 42 starts at first base for St. Paul this season, and while some of that probably has to do with the sheer amount of outfield talent the Twins have had at Triple-A, they still chose him to get that work, rather than someone like Hendry Mendez. The Twins’ long-term outlook in the outfield leaves little space for Gonzalez, and it seems like the Twins realize that. Gonzalez doesn’t have the traditional offensive skill set of a first baseman, either. He’s more of a contact-oriented hitter than someone who’s going to provide huge amounts of power. But the fact that he has continued getting starts at first base even with Sabato on the same roster is worth paying attention to. If the Twins truly viewed Gonzalez as a long-term outfielder, it would be somewhat surprising to see them give him this many opportunities at first. Let's also consider Mendez. The Twins’ No. 7 prospect has spent basically all of his professional career playing the outfield corners, but that might not be his long-term home. Mendez went to the Arizona Fall League after the 2025 season, at least in part to get some reps at first base, and he also appeared there a couple of times at Double-A this year. Considering how many left-handed corner outfielders the Twins have in their system, someone is probably going to have to transition to another position eventually. That could be Gonzalez, but Mendez makes at least as much. He throws and bats left-handed. He's 6-foot-3. Like Gonzalez, he’s a contact-first hitter who can get on base, but Mendez has also shown an ability to consistently hit the ball hard, more so than Gonzalez. That combination gives him an offensive foundation that could work at first base if the Twins ultimately decide that’s his best path to the majors. Mendez could make his major-league debut in 2027, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that debut comes at first base. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the Twins look externally for their answer. First base is a position where they could find a veteran solution through free agency or a trade, and there’s no guarantee that any of these four players actually becomes the long-term answer. But I think Lewis, Sabato, Gonzalez and Mendez all have interesting (if speculative) cases for why they could be. The Twins don’t need to find their next first baseman this offseason. They might already have several options worth exploring. View full article

Marco Raya once looked like one of the Twins’ most promising pitching prospects, but his development has taken a very different path over the last couple of years. Now working out of the bullpen, he still has the stuff to potentially carve out a role in Minnesota. View full video

Not an argument, just curious why you feel that way. I wouldn't have pegged them as a 90-loss team next year

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images At one point in time, it looked like Twins pitching prospect Marco Raya was on his way to becoming a key piece of the organization’s pitching staff. After being selected in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of high school, he had to wait a little longer than expected to begin his professional career. A shoulder strain wiped out his entire 2021 season, but he came back in 2022 and showed why the Twins had been so intrigued by him. Raya posted a 3.05 ERA with 76 strikeouts over 65 innings in Low-A that season, giving him a strong foundation to build on. He followed that with another impressive year at High-A in 2023, which earned him a promotion to Double-A at just 20 years old. Just one year later, he was knocking on the door of Triple-A. He only made one start at that level in 2024, but it was an impressive one: he tossed five scoreless innings. At that point, it felt like the Twins had found a potential frontline starter who was flying through the organization. But from there, things started to unravel. Raya has been pretty much stuck in St. Paul for the last couple of years, and some of the issues that have plagued him have become increasingly difficult to overlook. Too many barrels have hurt him, and the Twins have now transitioned him into a relief role. Suddenly, the frontline starter upside that once made Raya one of the more intriguing arms in the system seems to have disappeared. But that doesn’t necessarily mean his future with the Twins has disappeared with it. Despite a couple of rough years in St. Paul, Raya finally made his major-league debut in 2026. He only appeared in three games before being optioned back to Triple-A, but he allowed just two earned runs over six innings. Obviously, six innings is nowhere near enough to draw any definitive conclusions. The underlying numbers from such a small sample need to be taken with a grain of salt, but there were still some encouraging signs. His secondary pitches generated whiffs; he did a good job limiting hard contact, and most importantly, the overall arsenal looked like something that can work at the major-league level. His fastball has been sitting around 96 miles per hour in St. Paul, giving him a solid foundation to build the rest of his arsenal around. Both his sweeper and curveball have strong movement profiles, and the sweeper generated plenty of whiffs during his brief time in the majors. The increased usage of that pitch has also been one of the more interesting developments for Raya this season. He has leaned on the sweeper substantially more than he did before, and he's also increased his usage of the changeup. That change is a little firmer than normal, coming in around 90 MPH, but it generates plenty of deception and plays well off his fastball. That combination could give Raya a pretty interesting mix in a bullpen role. He also has a cutter, although he really isn’t throwing it much anymore. In reality, the pitch looks more like a hard slider than a traditional cutter, which could explain why it has fallen out of his mix. Still, it could be a usable offering if the Twins decide they want him to bring it back more often. The biggest question is whether Raya can finally start turning all of that stuff into consistent results. His overall numbers at Triple-A this season are far from outstanding, and the home run problem in particular has continued to follow him. One out of every four hits he's allowed this year has left the ballpark, which has hurt his overall stat line and dents any confidence that he could be a valuable high-leverage arm. At the same time, there are some reasons to believe he's made progress. Compared to 2025, his walk and strikeout rates have both improved substantially. If he can clean up the long balls, there's still a world where he carves out a meaningful role in the Twins’ bullpen. It may not be the role anyone envisioned when he was flying through the organization as a 20-year-old. There was a point when it looked like Raya could eventually become a frontline starter, and that path has clearly taken a major turn. But a change in role doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the road. He's still only 24, and the Twins have already seen enough from his arsenal to know that there's something to work with. A 96-MPH fastball, a whiff-heavy sweeper and a changeup with plenty of movement give him the ingredients of a legitimate major-league pitcher. Now, it’s about finding the right way to put everything together. View full article

what makes you so sure they're going to lose 90 games?

Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins have a luxury that almost every other major-league team would love to have: an abundance of young catching talent in the minor leagues. According to Twins Daily’s prospect rankings, five of the organization’s top 20 prospects are backstops. Vahn Lackey headlines that group as the No. 2 prospect in the system, while Eduardo Tait checks in at No. 8. Carson Tinney, Khadim Diaw and Enrique Jimenez round out the group at No. 11, No. 13 and No. 20, respectively. Obviously, not all of those players are going to become impactful major-league catchers. That’s the reality of having this much talent at one position. Some prospects will develop into everyday players, others could become useful backups, and some won’t make it to the majors at all. But that’s also what makes the Twins’ situation unique. Minnesota already has three catchers on their major-league roster, and Derek Shelton and the Twins have shown they aren’t afraid to utilize multiple backstops when the situation calls for it. With so much catching talent coming through the system, the organization could eventually have more prospects than it realistically has room for. That could make some of them valuable trade chips this offseason. Before getting carried away with potential trades, there are a couple of names that can probably be crossed off the list. I think Target Field would burn to the ground if the Twins traded Lackey. Minnesota just selected Lackey third overall in July’s MLB Draft, and his first taste of professional baseball has been extremely promising. In 52 plate appearances at High-A Cedar Rapids, Lackey has posted a 1.000 OPS. Obviously, it’s an incredibly small sample size, and there’s still a long way to go before Lackey is ready for the majors. But the early returns are about as good as the Twins could have hoped for. More importantly, he looks like the organization’s catcher of the future. It would make very little sense for the Twins to turn around and trade him before he’s even had a chance to develop. Lackey is going nowhere. The same is probably true for Tinney, whom Minnesota also just drafted this summer. There’s little reason to believe the Twins would move on from a player they just invested in, unless something completely unexpected happens. (We have seen a slight uptick in the frequency of such trades, since the rules were modified to allow draft picks to be traded any time after the end of the World Series in the year in which they're drafted, but it's usually guys who get a lot of helium and become strong trade chips after being relatively low picks. Tinney doesn't fit the mold.) That leaves Tait, Diaw and Jimenez as the realistic trade candidates. Of those three, Tait is easily the most intriguing. The Twins just spent a first-round pick on Lackey, but Tait was one of the organization’s most highly regarded prospects before that selection. If Minnesota decides it needs to make a significant addition this offseason, Tait could be the piece that gets a deal done—assuming you find the right buyer. His stock is, undeniably, a bit down from where it was when the Twins got him as the centerpiece of the Jhoan Duran deal. He'd need to be a co-headliner in any deal, and he doesn't unlock top-tier targets for you. But he still moves the needle, if you find someone who believes in him behind the plate. Diaw or Jimenez could be used as part of a smaller deal. The bullpen immediately comes to mind. Minnesota did a lot to improve their relief corps at the trade deadline, adding several arms who helped stabilize what had been a major weakness earlier in the season. But let’s be realistic here: there’s still more work to be done. The Twins are going to have opportunities to add relievers this offseason, with plenty of bullpen arms entering the final year of their contracts. A prospect like Diaw or Jimenez could be enough to facilitate a one-for-one deal for a useful major-league reliever. That might not be nearly as exciting as using Tait and a top outfield prospect to aim for a bigger prize, but it could ultimately be just as important. Bullpens are volatile, and the Twins have already learned how quickly a strength can become a weakness. Adding another reliable arm could make a meaningful difference over the course of a full season. None of this is to say that the Twins have to trade any of these catchers. There’s a good argument for keeping all of them. Catching is probably the most physically demanding position in baseball, and having multiple talented options in the system provides valuable insurance against injuries, stalled development or prospects failing to reach their expected ceiling. But that doesn’t mean the Twins should ignore the trade value they have created. Five of their top 20 prospects are catchers. Most organizations would love to have that problem. The Twins now have the flexibility to keep developing that group and see how everything shakes out, or they can use some of that depth to address more immediate needs. If Minnesota believes it can make a legitimate push in 2027, they should at least consider the latter. View full article

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