Tom Pohlad has made it sound like the Twins could be in line to spend more in 2027, and even if that comes with the usual caution around ownership promises, it does point to a club that may have a little more flexibility this offseason than it has in the last couple of years. Minnesota spent roughly $115.75 million on the roster this year, well below the $156.10 million payroll from 2023, when the Twins won their first postseason series in 21 years.
That alone won’t solve the roster, of course. The more immediate path could come through trades, and Minnesota has the kind of farm system that gives it options. FanGraphs ranks the Twins’ system seventh in value, which means they have enough talent in the pipeline to deal from strength if they want to chase big-league help.
The top names are not part of that conversation. Walker Jenkins, Vahn Lackey, Kaelen Culpepper and Emmanuel Rodriguez are the kinds of prospects Minnesota should keep. But beyond that elite tier, the Twins have a few notable chips they could move if they decide to reshape the roster.
One of the more interesting names is Eduardo Tait. The 20-year-old catcher is Minnesota’s No. 6 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and he came to the Twins from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran trade, a deal that also brought back right-handed starter Mick Abel.
Tait’s 2026 season at High-A Cedar Rapids wasn’t pretty - he hit .221/.281/.418 in 116 games - but he had success earlier at Rookie and Single-A, and he’s still young enough to keep his stock alive. Even so, after Minnesota used the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 draft on Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, it starts to make sense to at least consider moving Tait for major league help.
Khadim Diaw fits a similar mold. He’s another catcher, and he’s ranked right behind Tait at No. 9 in the system.
Diaw is 23 and posted the better offensive line of the two, hitting .306/.417/.452 over 107 games split between High-A and Double-A. The Twins are deep at the position overall - with Lackey, Tait and Diaw joined by Carson Tinney, Enrique Jimenez and Ricardo Olivar among their top 30 prospects - so if Minnesota wants to use a catching surplus to address another area, Diaw is the kind of player that could land in a trade.
Then there’s Emmanuel Mendez, whose profile gives Minnesota another possible route to improvement elsewhere on the roster. The Twins got the left-handed-hitting and left-handed-throwing outfielder from Philadelphia on July 31, 2025, in the Harrison Bader deal, and they also received minor-league right-hander Geremy Villoria.
Mendez put together a solid year, batting .281/.374/.430 in 102 games between Double-A and Triple-A, with 24 games at Double-A and 78 at Triple-A. He mostly played left field, and he even logged a cup of coffee at first base.
With Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Byron Buxton, Luke Keaschall, Alan Roden and others crowding the outfield picture, Minnesota has a reasonable case for using Mendez as part of a bigger move if the right opportunity presents itself.
In Other News...
Tommy Nance Gave The Twins A Bullpen Decision To Make
Tommy Nances 2026 season gave the Twins a useful reminder that bullpen depth can shift fast when a pitcher stays on the field and keeps getting called on. After making Torontos Opening Day roster and working a career-high 59 appearances, he went through a year that was mostly healthy aside from some midseason forearm discomfort, and even when fatigue started to show late, he was still available often enough to matter. For a Minnesota bullpen that is always trying to sort out who can handle real leverage, that kind of durability is not nothing.
Nance also knows there is still room to sharpen the way he shows up for those moments. He plans to make adjustments in the offseason as he tries to be quicker getting locked in, with an eye on carving out more high-leverage chances once he gets to the Twins in 2027. The path forward is pretty clear from here: keep the body right, get the command where it needs to be, and make it easier for Minnesota to trust him when the game gets tight. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face A Tougher Bullpen Call With Eric Orze This Spring
Eric Orzes place in the Twins bullpen is set to come with a little more urgency this spring, because the club has to decide not just whether he helps them now, but how much patience it can afford to show if he does not. His 2026 season trended down from what he showed in 2025, and Minnesota will spend camp trying to determine whether a change in environment, and a fresh voice in the coaching staff, can help him get back on track.
Brian Reiths arrival adds an interesting layer to that evaluation, since he has seen Orze before and now gets another chance to judge what the right role looks like for him. The broader challenge for the Twins is roster management, because Orzes status makes him tougher to stash if he does not win a job outright, and that puts even more weight on how he looks in spring training compared with the clubs other bullpen candidates. [Read more 🡒]
Twins First Base Uncertainty Could Force A Royce Lewis Rethink
Minnesotas first base picture is still unsettled heading into next season, and that uncertainty has a way of rippling through the rest of the roster. Kody Clemens, Royce Lewis and Victor Caratini are all in the mix, but none of them represents the clean, every-day answer the Twins would ideally prefer if they want more stability at the position.
One possibility that fits the roster need is a veteran bat with enough offensive track record to give the group a clearer shape, especially against right-handed pitching. Lewis could still remain part of the solution rather than the problem, but the more the front office weighs matchups and lineup balance, the more this starts to look like a decision that could affect how his role is defined rather than simply where he stands on the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]