Josh Bell gave the Twins far more than a one-year stopgap.
Minnesota brought him in last December on a $7 million deal with a mutual option for 2027 worth $10 million and a $1.25 million buyout, expecting offense first and anything extra from there. The glove was never the point.
The bat was. Bell was coming off two seasons split among three teams in which he piled up 41 home runs and 134 RBI, even if the underlying production was more modest: a negative 0.2 fWAR and a 102 wRC+.
This year, Bell delivered a much stronger return. He finished with 21 home runs, 96 RBI and a 106 wRC+, while also posting his sixth straight season with a slugging percentage above .400. A .289 BABIP, his best mark since 2022, helped push him to a positive 0.7 fWAR and made his season look a lot more like the kind of impact the Twins were betting on when they targeted the veteran switch-hitter.
That’s why the winter decision matters. ZiPS projections at FanGraphs point to Bell keeping a good chunk of his power and contact ability heading into his age-34 season in 2027, with a stable BABIP and discipline numbers that look a lot like what he’s done recently. The projection set suggests the skill set is still there.
And some of those skills still play loudly. Bell did damage against fastballs from both sides of the plate, finishing with the sixth-best batting average at .304 and the eighth-best slugging percentage at .489 among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances against fastballs. In that group, only Riley Greene and Bell hit more than 20 home runs, and Bell actually edged Greene 13-12 in home runs against fastballs.
Pitchers clearly tried to challenge him in the strike zone. Bell saw fastballs on 50.7% of pitches and breaking balls on 25.5%, a combined 76.2%, and answered with slugging percentages of .477 and .400 against those pitch types.
The one area that still gives him trouble is offspeed pitching. His whiff rate crept from 30.0 to 30.6 in 2026, and over his last two seasons he hit just .193 against offspeed stuff with four home runs and 56 strikeouts.
Even with that flaw, there’s a case that Bell still has another level to find. He’s shown he can hit, he has playoff experience, and his track record includes a 1.250 OPS in 12 games and 45 plate appearances with the San Diego Padres in 2022 and the Miami Marlins in 2023.
The cautionary tale is sitting right there too. George Springer is the comparison, a player who fell apart in the final year of his deal with the Blue Jays after a solid 2025 at age 35.
Bell has already said he wants to be back with the Twins next season. And if Minnesota believes what the projections say - and values what the 34-year-old brought to a clubhouse filled with young, rising players - the mistake this winter would be letting him walk.
In Other News...
Twins May Have Just Seen A Painful Goodbye Behind The Plate
The Twins closed their 2026 season with a 6-4 win over the Rangers, and for Mitch Jeffers, it may have also marked the end of the line in Minnesota for now. Jeffers wrapped up his final game of the year with the club, then looked back on a career that brought both staying power and a strong individual season, even with injury setbacks interrupting the run.
What comes next is the part Minnesota has to brace for. Jeffers is set to hit free agency this winter, and the Twins are left weighing an uncertain future behind the plate while also sorting through other roster moves. For a team that values stability at catcher, the possibility of moving on from Jeffers adds another significant decision to an already busy offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Coaching Shakeup Feels Like The Start Of Something Bigger
The Twins wasted little time starting their offseason overhaul, moving on from pitching coach Pete Maki and assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez after the regular season ended. The shakeup also reached the training room, where assistant athletic trainer Jason Kirkman is no longer with the club, even as head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta and top assistant Masamichi Abe are staying put.
For Minnesota, the staff changes feel like more than routine turnover. Replacing both leaders of the pitching program suggests the organization wants a fresh direction on the mound, and the front office has now put the coaching side of that conversation squarely on the table as it heads into next season. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Pitchers Are Suddenly All Over This Postseason
The Twins may be on the outside looking in this October, but plenty of their old pitching inventory is still very much in the postseason mix. A list of 11 former Minnesota arms has surfaced across the 2026 MLB playoffs, a reminder of how much turnover can ripple through a pitching staff and how often ex-Twins end up scattered around the bracket. Caleb Thielbar is with the Cubs, Jhoan Duran is in Philadelphia, and Tyler Mahle is part of Atlantas rotation picture, giving the postseason a distinctly Minnesota-flavored subplot even without the Twins themselves involved.
What makes it especially notable is the sheer reach of it all, with those former Twins tied to multiple series and matchups as the playoff schedule unfolds. For a fan base that has watched a lot of arms come and go, this is one of those October snapshots that says as much about organizational churn as it does about the players themselves. The full list stretches well beyond the biggest names, and the spread of destinations makes it clear just how many different contenders are carrying a little bit of Minnesota pitching history with them. [Read more 🡒]