The Twins don’t have a subtle first-base problem. They have a real one, and the market isn’t exactly handing them a clean fix.
Looking ahead to the projected 2027 roster, first base stands out as the most obvious place to hunt for a lineup upgrade. Royce Lewis is coming off another sub-par season, and while Twins officials have shown they’re willing to spend, the free-agent class at the position doesn’t offer much certainty. The better path may be the trade market, especially with Minnesota open to moving pitching depth to get a bat that matters.
That’s where the conversation starts to get interesting. The Twins ranked 26th out of 30 MLB teams in fWAR at first base this season, so this isn’t about tweaking around the edges. It’s about finding someone who can change the shape of the lineup.
Yandy Díaz is one of the cleanest fits on paper. The Rays’ All-Star has one year of team control left at $13 million, which makes him exactly the kind of player Tampa Bay tends to move when the price is right.
He brings a career 127 OPS+ and a right-handed bat that would fit nicely in the middle of the order. The bigger question is whether he can still handle the position.
Díaz’s starts this year all came at DH, and 114 of his 150 appearances last season were there, too. The Twins already showed little patience for Josh Bell’s glove, and Díaz may not offer a major upgrade defensively.
Alec Burleson would be the splashiest target on the board. He led the majors with 116 RBIs as the Cardinals’ No. 3 hitter and has posted a 129 OPS+ over the last two seasons.
He’s turning 29 next month and still has two years before free agency, which makes him a prime player for a team to hold onto - especially since St. Louis had one of the worst offenses in the league this year.
If Minnesota wants him, the offer would have to be strong enough to get the Cardinals’ attention.
Then there’s Spencer Steer, a familiar name for Twins fans. He came over in the Tyler Mahle trade and has settled in as a pretty average hitter for Cincinnati, but there’s still value there.
He gives a team options, including the ability to slide to left field and start against a lefty as a right-handed bat. His overall .242/.327/.421 line across 586 games is ordinary, but the .838 OPS against lefties is the kind of split that can matter.
He’s controlled through 2028 and reportedly drew “plenty of interest” at the deadline.
Triston Casas is the wild card. He looked like a rising star in 2023, when he was a Rookie of the Year contender and put up a 126 OPS+ through 222 MLB games.
Then the injuries hit. He was already slumping in 2025 before a torn patellar tendon against the Twins in early May knocked him out, and he hasn’t played since.
Soft tissue injuries and a wrist issue that required arthroscopic surgery have complicated the recovery. At 26, he still offers upside, but he also comes with plenty of risk.
Two years of control and a low salary make him an appealing fit on the payroll side, even if the gamble is obvious.
Ryan Mountcastle is the safer, if less exciting, name. He missed all but one game this year because of a fractured foot and wasn’t a good hitter in 2025, but before that he was a steady right-handed power bat with an OPS+ around 110.
The fit in Baltimore looks crowded, which could keep the acquisition cost down. He’s only 29, and while he may not be clearly better than Lewis based on recent production, he’s at least a realistic target.
None of the five is a perfect answer. Availability is murky in every case, and the fit isn’t spotless either.
But the Twins do have a clear need, and they also have the kind of pitching depth that can be used to address it. With the offense needing to replace the lost impact of Bell and Ryan Jeffers, first base looks like the place to be aggressive this winter.
Whether that means a bigger swing for Burleson, a calculated bet on Casas or something in between, the Twins should be turning over every stone.
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Twins Bullpen Is Betting Big On One Fix Fans Had To See
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There are signs the lefty group was already trending in a better direction before the roster additions, especially with Kody Funderburk showing improvement and the unit as a whole cutting down opponent OPS and improving run-prevention numbers from the season before. Still, the Twins also asked those pitchers to handle more right-handed hitters than they had the previous year, and that mix of usage and results makes the bullpen setup worth watching closely as the new pieces settle in. [Read more 🡒]