The Twins have a roster deadline looming, and the choice is pretty clear when it comes to protecting young talent. With the 40-man cutoff set for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at or before 6:00 p.m. ET, Minnesota has to decide which prospects are worth shielding from the Rule 5 Draft.
For a club that finished third in the AL Central after being widely projected to land last, this is part of the next step. The Twins already have a promising group in place for the 2027 season, and adding more homegrown talent through the system is how they keep building toward becoming a real American League contender.
Among Minnesota’s Top 30 prospects, only one player is Rule 5 eligible: outfielder Yasser Mercedes. The international signee has been in the organization since 2022 and has put together a strong run in the minors over the last few seasons.
Mercedes, the No. 17 organizational prospect, hit 18 home runs in 2026 and drove in 72 runs while batting .249. The bat comes with some swing-and-miss, though, as he struck out 137 times and walked 56 times. Even with that, the Twins need more homegrown outfield help, and the upside is enough reason to protect him rather than gamble on losing him.
Rule 5 Draft picks go straight onto the selecting team’s 26-man roster, and they have to clear outright waivers if that club wants to remove them from that roster the following season. Mercedes is still in the lower levels of the minors, so it seems unlikely another team would carry him on a 26-man roster right now. If that’s the case, Minnesota benefits either way.
Paulshawn Pasqualotto is the other name that deserves attention. The Twins took him in the 12th round of the 2023 draft, and he has outperformed expectations as he climbed the ladder, finishing 2026 in Triple-A.
Pasqualotto wrapped up the year with a 3.73 ERA over 70 innings, along with 95 strikeouts and 26 walks. His command still needs work, but the stuff is there, and it could fit into Minnesota’s bullpen while also helping the club save money.
Adding Pasqualotto to the 40-man roster would not guarantee him a spot on the 2027 Major League club. It would simply signal that the Twins believe in him and think his arrival could be close. He could be a bullpen option next season, as long as Minnesota doesn’t leave him exposed to the Rule 5 Draft.
In Other News...
Twins Just Lost A Power Bat Their Outfield Picture Could Need
The Twins outfield depth chart has already been a talking point this winter, and now one of the organizations more intriguing power prospects is gone. Kalai Rosario has signed a minor league deal with the Padres after reaching Triple-A, ending his run in Minnesotas system and giving another club a chance to see what he can do with his bat.
Rosario had built a reputation as a legitimate power threat in the minors, highlighted by a Midwest League MVP season in 2023 and a win in the Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby. For the Twins, it is another reminder of how quickly organizational depth can shift, especially with an outfield mix that could still use more thump. [Read more 🡒]
Twins First Base Plan Just Got More Complicated For 2027
Jake Bauers is off the board, and that matters for a Twins club still trying to sort out its first base picture for 2027. His four-year, $58 million deal with the Boston Red Sox removes one of the more obvious names from Minnesotas pool of possible targets, leaving the front office to keep weighing a position that has not exactly settled into place.
Royce Lewis is still the favorite to handle first base for now, but his recent struggles have kept the conversation open. If the Twins decide they need outside help, Ty France is a familiar option after a strong 2026 season, while Paul Goldschmidt would bring veteran certainty on what figures to be a shorter-term deal. For a team looking for stability, the market just got a little thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face A Lineup Question That Could Define This Offseason
The Twins are spending this offseason with their attention squarely on the lineup, and for good reason. Minnesota could be staring at potential losses in Josh Bell and Ryan Jeffers, which puts even more pressure on the front office to find ways to keep the offense moving in the right direction. General manager Jeremy Zoll has already made clear that supplementing the bats is part of the plan, not a luxury, as the club tries to avoid entering next season thin in the middle of the order.
There is also a longer view to consider, because the Twins want more from their young core as the calendar turns toward 2027. Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez are all expected to matter more in that picture, but the organization cannot simply wait on development and hope the power comes with it. Minnesota finished with 187 home runs in 2026, and adding more punch is shaping up as one of the defining tasks of the winter. [Read more 🡒]