The Twins may be shopping for help at first base or designated hitter this offseason, but Tyler Duffey’s suggestion is one Minnesota should probably leave alone.
Minnesota could use a bat to help cover for the possible departure of Josh Bell, though the roster picture complicates things. The club already has a crowded outfield with Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall, which makes the DH spot less straightforward. That could push the Twins toward someone who can handle both DH and first base, especially if the team decides to move on from Royce Lewis.
That’s where Duffey’s idea came in. The former Twins right-hander brought up Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor on the “Twin Cities Territory” podcast and made his case with plenty of enthusiasm.
"[Naylor] is under contract, which means that money is staying where it is, you can manipulate it however such, but I see him as a guy, like an Eddie Rosario-esque," Duffey said on the "Twin Cities Territory" podcast. "The other teams cannot stand to see the guy do well.
He gets the boys fired up. He's figured something out.
Maybe he's been a speedy guy the whole time, and we just didn't know it. He's stealing bags.
He's hitting homers... I think that's something, whether you like it or not, great to have it in the locker room.
It brings an energy that you can't fake. It's the slug, it's the energy, it's things like that.
He's a guy that could somehow come to us instead of Dan [Hayes'] pipe dream of [Rafael] Devers."
Naylor’s profile does make the idea easy to see. Across eight MLB seasons, he has been an above-average hitter, batting .268/.327/.429 with a 111 wRC+, plus 114 home runs, 492 RBI and 85 stolen bases.
But the latest version of Naylor does not look like a clean fit. He is coming off his worst season since 2021, finishing with 0.6 fWAR and a 95 wRC+ while hitting just 10 homers and driving in 57 runs across 152 games.
The contract is the real roadblock. Naylor, 29, signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with Seattle last offseason and is still owed $83.9 million.
If he were on the open market, the Twins could at least make the conversation interesting. Under this deal, though, the price tag is steep, and the production dipped at the wrong time.
There’s also the injury piece. Naylor had right wrist surgery after the regular season and dealt with minor injuries during the year, even while appearing in 152 of Seattle’s 162 games. That may have played a role in the downturn.
So unless the Mariners are willing to eat a sizable chunk of the money, Minnesota shouldn’t be calling. And even then, Seattle would be staring at a classic sell-low situation with a former All-Star coming off a rough year.
In Other News...
Twins Face One Offseason Question That Could Define Their Next Step
The offseason has already started with a familiar mix of hope and uncertainty for the Twins after a 77-85 finish left them seven games out of the final American League wild-card spot. There are a few obvious areas to sort through, starting with the health of the pitching rotation and whether ownership is ready to back up a more aggressive approach with real spending.
Ryan Jeffers' free agency adds another layer to the puzzle, because catcher suddenly looms as a position the front office has to address. And while there is talk that Tom Pohlad plans to raise payroll for 2027, the more immediate question is how much help the Twins can add now and whether this winter can finally put them on a more competitive track. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Ryans Twins Future Just Became A Real Offseason Debate
Joe Ryan has gone from a stabilizing presence in the Twins rotation to one of the more interesting offseason names on the roster, and the reason is simple enough: Minnesota has pitching depth, and Ryan is getting closer to a point where his contract situation starts to matter more. He has been a quality starter over his career, but the Twins also have enough arms in the system and on the staff that they can at least entertain difficult conversations rather than treating every rotation piece as untouchable.
The bigger question now is whether the Twins decide to listen if the right offer comes along, especially with clubs around the league still searching for starting pitching. San Francisco has emerged as a logical match because of its need and its farm system assets, but for Minnesota the debate goes beyond one possible trade partner. It is about whether Ryans value is at its peak now, or whether keeping him for another season is worth the risk if the second half trends that have followed him begin to carry more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Yasser Mercedes Is Forcing A Twins Decision That Could Cost Depth
Yasser Mercedes is making his case in the Arizona Fall League at just the right time for the Twins, who have one more major roster decision to weigh before the Rule 5 draft window arrives on Dec. 9, pending whatever happens with the MLB collective bargaining agreement. Mercedes has shown improvement recently, and that has only sharpened the attention on a player whose performance this fall could affect how Minnesota plans for the winter.
The bigger question is how aggressively the Twins want to protect that depth. Mercedes is squarely in the conversation because the club has to balance keeping him out of other teams hands with preserving his development path in the minors, and the AFL is giving him a final chance to strengthen that argument. His standing will keep depending on both how he plays and whether the Rule 5 draft even goes forward under the current labor setup. [Read more 🡒]