Free agency is open, and the Twins already have one of their bigger 2027 questions sitting right in the middle of the lineup: do they lock in a full-time designated hitter, or keep the spot fluid and use it as a rotating door?
Josh Bell’s mutual option was declined by Minnesota on Saturday, which leaves a clear opening after a productive 2026 season. Bell led the Twins with 96 RBIs and gave them exactly the kind of clutch presence they were missing. With runners in scoring position, he put up a .998 OPS, and that kind of damage in the heart of the order mattered.
Bell was signed to play first base, but that didn’t last long. The Twins moved him off the field and made him their everyday DH for most of the year.
He started 129 games there in 2026, the first time a Twins player had topped 100 starts at designated hitter since Nelson Cruz in 2019. Over the last seven seasons, Minnesota has mostly taken one of two paths with the spot: bring in a true full-time DH like Cruz or Bell, or use it to give different players occasional rest.
That second route has been part of the conversation before, especially in 2023 when the Twins tried to use DH to keep Byron Buxton healthier. Buxton was the designated hitter in 80 games that season, but the plan didn’t exactly solve the injury issue.
He still dealt with injuries and played only 85 games overall. Even so, the idea of keeping his bat in the lineup while easing the load on his body still makes sense for Minnesota as it looks ahead to 2027.
There’s a straightforward case for going back out and finding another power bat. For a team that has had trouble finding reliable middle-of-the-order production, the DH spot is one of the cheapest ways to add it.
In 2026, designated hitters posted the second-highest OPS of any position, and Bell showed how efficient that can be: an above-average hitter for $7 million. That’s a pretty good return for a club that handed more than 1,500 plate appearances to Royce Lewis, Victor Caratini, Austin Martin and Ryan Kreidler.
But there’s also a strong argument for keeping the spot open. Buxton remains one of the best players in baseball when he’s healthy, and Minnesota could benefit from giving him more days away from center field without taking his bat out of the lineup. He may not even be able to handle center on a regular basis in 2027, and that possibility has to be part of the planning.
Then there’s the logjam in the outfield. Walker Jenkins, Buxton, Luke Keaschall, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Alan Roden give the Twins a group of young players who could all use real at-bats.
If Minnesota wants to keep that development moving, having the DH spot available would help a lot. It’s not a case where the lineup is overflowing with established stars and the extra bat is a luxury.
It’s a roster with several young outfielders reaching the point where they need major league opportunities, and the DH could be the easiest way to make room. If none of those outfielders are traded, leaving the spot open may be the cleanest way to get them all playing time.
So the Twins are left with a real choice. They can chase another affordable power source and try to replace Bell’s production, or they can prioritize flexibility and use DH as a way to keep their young players moving through the lineup.
Neither path is wrong. It comes down to what Minnesota thinks its roster needs most.
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