The Twins’ offseason is going to start with a lot of decisions before it starts with any additions.
Minnesota has promised change after missing the 2026 postseason again, and the front office’s first job is figuring out which players already in the building are part of the next version of the roster. Chairman Tom Pohlad said at the year-end press conference that Minnesota intends to “meaningfully invest” in its roster.
He didn’t put a number on it, but he did reinforce that ownership agrees. He also acknowledged his belief that $100 million isn’t enough to consistently contend in the league.
According to Spotrac, the Twins rank 21st in MLB with a payroll of about $115 million. How that money gets used will be shaped by a long list of contract calls.
Ryan Jeffers looks like the biggest free-agent question of the bunch. The catcher hit .256/.353/.461 with 14 home runs in 2026 and can now test the market.
Minnesota still has to decide whether to extend him a qualifying offer, and general manager Jeremy Zoll said the team had not made that call immediately after the season. Jeffers has said he wants to return, so the next move belongs to the front office.
Joe Ryan is in a different spot, but his situation matters just as much. His deal includes a $13 million option for 2027 with a $100,000 buyout.
If the Twins turn down the option, he still would not become a free agent right away; Minnesota would keep him through arbitration for one more season, with a projection of $9.6 million. Declining the option would almost certainly be the cleaner financial play.
The bigger question is what comes after that: a long-term extension, one more season, or a trade while his value is still high.
The same kind of fork in the road exists with Bailey Ober. He’s projected at $6.9 million in arbitration after posting a 4.47 ERA over 131 innings in 2026.
That marked improvement from his 5.10 ERA in 2025, but the Twins still have to decide whether that jump is enough to justify nearly $7 million. They can tender him and keep the rotation intact, or they can look at the trade market instead.
Trevor Larnach is another arbitration case with a real roster fit question attached. He’s projected at $6.3 million in his final arbitration season, and the outfield is getting crowded fast.
Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez have reached the majors, and Byron Buxton remains part of the 2027 plans. That could make Larnach more useful as a trade chip than as an expensive bat without a guaranteed everyday role.
Minnesota also has to sort out Royce Lewis, who is projected to earn $5.1 million through arbitration and remains under team control beyond next season. The issue here is less about the money and more about where he fits.
Lewis was a first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, spent the next three years in the minors, then had injuries take over. He tore his left ACL in 2021 and missed the whole season, then reinjured that same ACL just 12 games into his MLB debut in 2022.
A non-tender would be a big swing, and the expectation is that Minnesota will tender him and then listen to offers.
The Twins also face a decision on Ryan Jeffers’ battery mate? No - the catcher situation stands on its own, while the rest of the infield and rotation decisions keep piling up.
Carlos Correa? No, not in this story.
The group at the center here includes Griffin Jax? Also not here.
The actual arbitration and option puzzle is already plenty big.
Danny Coulombe? Not mentioned.
The deadline addition who does matter here is David Kremer, projected to earn $6.5 million in his final arbitration season. Minnesota acquired him at the deadline knowing they’d get another year of control, and with the rotation carrying so many questions, keeping him feels like a straightforward call.
Taj Bradley and Kody Clemens are also arbitration-eligible, but both appear to be simple tenders. The same goes for Anthony Banda, Cole Sands and Tommy Nance, who round out the large arbitration class. Banda’s case could get complicated because surgery may keep him out until after the All-Star break in 2027.
Then there’s the bullpen beyond arbitration. A.J. Minter and Taylor Rogers are free agents, so Minnesota could be looking at a reshaped relief group.
Some of the core is already locked in. Byron Buxton, Pablo Lopez, Jeff Hoffman and Victor Caratini are all under contract for 2027.
That leaves the Twins with a winter that begins less with shopping and more with sorting. Before they can reshape the roster, they have to decide who stays.
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