The Twins have a fairly straightforward decision in front of them with Cole Sands: keep the door open, but don’t mistake that for a guarantee.
Minnesota faces a Nov. 20 tender deadline, and the case for bringing Sands back for 2027 starts with the price. MLB Trade Rumors projected his salary at $1.3 million, a figure that makes him a manageable gamble as the Twins try to reshape their bullpen. Tendering him would preserve the club’s rights while leaving the final salary to be worked out through an agreement or arbitration.
That doesn’t mean Sands is locked into a roster spot. It just means Minnesota would still control the conversation.
There’s reason to be interested in what he can still offer if the elbow cooperates. Sands was effective in 2024, putting up a 3.28 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 71.1 innings while striking out 85 and walking only 12. Those numbers showed a reliever who could miss bats and avoid free passes, and at 29, he’s still young enough to make the Twins wonder whether better health could bring some of that back.
But the recent track record is less tidy. Sands finished 2025 with a 4.50 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 72 innings, then posted an 8.25 ERA in just 12 innings in 2026. That 2026 sample was too small to tell the whole story, but it also didn’t offer much comfort before the injury picture came into focus.
The medical side is the real hinge here. MLB listed a 2027 return after Sands had arthroscopic elbow surgery and a PRP injection on Aug.
- That’s a recovery estimate, not a clean bill of health.
The Twins need to know whether the elbow points toward a useful return before they commit to anything beyond a tender.
Still, the upside is enough to justify the conversation. Minnesota would be buying time on a pitcher who has already shown he can help, and the projected arbitration cost is modest enough to make that worthwhile as part of a larger bullpen rebuild. The club can keep Sands in the mix while continuing to add pitchers who are better positioned to handle important innings right away.
The risk is obvious, too. Even a relatively small salary takes up payroll space, and every roster spot matters. If the medical evaluation suggests a much worse outlook than the current recovery timeline, the argument for tendering him gets a lot thinner.
And the Twins shouldn’t treat this as if Sands is already penciled into the bullpen. The early Opening Day projection tied his role to both health and a contract tender, with several relief jobs still open. On top of that, the club’s realistic offseason plan called for two established relief additions, which would lessen the pressure to count on Sands immediately for high-leverage work.
If Minnesota does tender him, the next step is simple: let the pitcher prove it. The Twins should watch his command, his ability to finish hitters and how he bounces back between outings. His role should grow only if the stuff and the results come with it.
For now, tendering Sands makes sense as a calculated move. It keeps a possible contributor in the organization at a reasonable cost while the Twins keep building the bullpen around healthier, more dependable options.
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Twins Second Base Decision Could Define Their Offseason Priorities
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Among the names being weighed, Brandon Lowe and Luis Arraez stand out for different reasons, with recent season performance and defensive value pushing the comparison in separate directions. Jim Bowdens contract projections only sharpen the debate, since Arraez is expected to cost more even though Lowe has been the more productive hitter lately, leaving the Twins to decide whether they want the safer fit, the better bat, or the one that makes the most financial sense. [Read more 🡒]