The Minnesota Twins didn’t just shop at the deadline - they hunted bigger game.
After landing three bullpen arms and a depth starter, the Twins still had their eyes on upgrades with far more impact. And according to Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Star Tribune, general manager Jeremy Zoll was in on multiple serious discussions that could have changed the look of the roster in a major way.
The biggest swing came in talks with the Los Angeles Angels for shortstop Zach Neto. Nightengale reported that Minnesota reached out to the Angels front office multiple times in recent weeks, but the conversation never got far because Los Angeles wanted Walker Jenkins, the Twins’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 14 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
That was the line Minnesota wouldn’t cross.
The Twins eventually went a different route to address shortstop, calling up top prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who ranks No. 29 overall. With Byron Buxton on the injured list, that same kind of move could be in play again with Jenkins.
From Minnesota’s side, passing on Neto for Jenkins makes plenty of sense. Neto is a solid young player, but his .242 career batting average and .751 OPS don’t exactly scream blockbuster return. He’s also sitting on 162 strikeouts this season, and his defense hasn’t exactly separated him from the pack either, with 1 DRS in 2026.
Jenkins, on the other hand, carries the kind of upside teams dream on when they draft and develop a player. The ceiling is obvious, and Minnesota clearly wasn’t willing to part with that for a deal that didn’t feel rich enough.
There was another major name in the mix, too. Nightengale Jr. reported that the Twins were also deep in conversations with the Toronto Blue Jays about Kevin Gausman, the 35-year-old starter who was eventually dealt to the Chicago Cubs.
Minnesota’s exact offer for Gausman wasn’t disclosed, and neither was Toronto’s ask. What is known is that Gausman, a two-time All-Star, owns a career 3.89 ERA, 110 ERA+ and 3.60 FIP. He would have fit neatly near the top of the Twins’ rotation, even ahead of a healthy Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley, and his playoff track record is no small thing: 14 appearances and 8 total starts, with most of that coming over the past five seasons.
Instead, the Cubs landed Gausman for two position player prospects: middle infielder Ty Southisene, ranked 10th in the Cubs’ system by Baseball America, and outfielder Brett Bateman, a Mounds View High School alum who made his major league debut Friday.
So the deadline ends with Minnesota having added help, but not the headline move it clearly explored. That part is worth remembering.
For an organization many expected to sit still, the Twins showed real urgency. Whether that carries into the offseason is the next question - unless, of course, the players are locked out.
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