The Twins have a sell-high case on their hands, and Kody Clemens is the one who stands out most.
Minnesota picked him up from the Phillies for cash considerations in April 2025, and less than two years later he’s become the position player the club should think hardest about moving. Trevor Larnach might be the more obvious candidate to go, but Clemens is the more meaningful trade decision.
That’s because the season he just put together gave him real value in the market. Clemens led the Twins with 27 home runs in 2026, knocked in 81 runs and appeared in 145 games. The .239/.298/.460 line doesn’t jump off the page, but it does tell part of the story of a left-handed hitter who can bring power while handling second base, first base and the outfield.
He was also one of the reasons Minnesota stayed in games when the offense went quiet around him. That kind of player is hard to move, and also exactly the kind of player another team would pay for.
The underlying numbers back up the breakout. Clemens barreled 11.1% of his batted balls in 2026 after a 12.0% rate in 2025, and his expected weighted on-base average sat at .333, almost identical to the .331 mark from the year before. That makes it tough to write off the power as a fluke.
The bigger reason to act now is timing. Clemens is 30 and is entering his first arbitration year, with MLB Trade Rumors projecting a 2027 salary of $3.6 million. RosterResource has him under team control through 2029.
That matters. A team trading for him this winter would get three seasons of control and a full season of evidence that his power plays over a full workload. If Minnesota waits a year, even a strong follow-up season would come with only two years of control left to sell.
There’s also the risk that the market never looks better than it does now. Clemens’s .298 on-base percentage means a lot of his value is tied to extra-base hits.
He could keep producing, maybe even improve, but the Twins can’t assume another 27-homer season will outweigh the lost year of control and the higher arbitration price tag. If they move him now, they can turn a productive, affordable bat into pitching help while his trade value is at its peak.
Still, this isn’t a simple dump-the-player argument. Clemens was a regular at both second base and first base in 2026, and Minnesota can’t just erase its home run leader from the lineup and expect a prospect to fill the gap.
The Twins are trying to contend in 2027, and ownership has said payroll will rise. At his projected arbitration number, Clemens is a bargain even if the power backs up a little.
There is at least a path for the roster to shift around him. Luke Keaschall hit .282 with a .374 on-base percentage in 2026, has experience at second base and spent much of the year in right field. Moving him back to the infield could open the door for Walker Jenkins or Emmanuel Rodriguez in the outfield, while Kaelen Culpepper and Brooks Lee hold down other infield spots.
But that setup would require defensive adjustments and real faith in the young bats. It’s a possibility, not a direct replacement for Clemens.
The more pressing need remains pitching. A.J.
Minter is headed for free agency, and Anthony Banda is expected to miss roughly the first half of 2027. If Minnesota can turn Clemens into a pitcher who can help right away and stay under control beyond next season, that would fit the roster need without taking one of the young players the organization wants to build around.
A near-ready starter with upside should be in play. An expiring middle reliever or a salary dump should not.
So the Twins should shop Clemens and be ready to make a deal if it brings back real 2027 pitching help. His power gives another club a reason to pay for more than a one-year surprise, and the years of control still attached to him make this winter the better time to sell.
If the offers don’t get there, Minnesota can always keep him and live with the bargain. But the smarter play is to move him only if the return is a genuine upgrade for 2027, while his best season and three years of control still carry maximum value.
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