The Minnesota Twins are stepping into an offseason that could shape the direction of the franchise for years to come.
After selling at the 2025 trade deadline and betting heavily on the future, that future is no longer theoretical. Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez have already debuted, and now the Twins have to build around that young wave while also supporting the current core already in place. General manager Jeremy Zoll and his staff face that task in a free-agent market the source describes as one of the weaker ones in recent memory.
With that in mind, three names stand out as fits for Minnesota.
Jake Bauers would give the Twins a chance to chase upside at first base and designated hitter after a huge 2026 season with the Brewers. He finished with a 143 wRC+, a career-high 26 home runs, and 86 RBIs, production that helped power Milwaukee’s renaissance and push them toward their first championship in franchise history.
The catch is obvious: this was a career year, and it may be tough to count on him repeating that level because he had never produced at this clip before. Still, the appeal is clear.
A short-term deal with opt-outs could give Minnesota a shot to catch lightning in a bottle with the NLCS MVP.
The Twins would also have to be aggressive if Jarren Bednar reaches the market. Among relievers available, he is arguably the best, and certainly belongs in the top tier of closers in baseball.
After some early trouble in 2026, Bednar settled in for the Yankees and converted 35 of 39 save chances while posting a 2.47 ERA. The Yankees are expected to extend him a qualifying offer, according to the New York Post, but if he does hit free agency, Minnesota should be in the mix.
With the closer role for the Twins looking uncertain heading into 2027, Bednar fits the need neatly.
Then there’s Gregory Soto, who checks the box for a bullpen that needs more than just one late-inning answer. Relief pitching is the biggest issue for Minnesota this winter, and Soto offers a sturdy option with both closing experience and a history of handling high-leverage innings.
His 2026 season with the Pirates wasn’t flashy, but it was a step forward: a 3.63 ERA across 67.0 innings, better than each of the previous three seasons. Strikeouts were a problem for the Twins bullpen in 2026, and Soto would help there with a 27.7% strikeout rate and a 43.6% ground ball rate.
He’d be something of a reclamation project, but one with enough of a track record to merit real consideration.
In Other News...
Twins Could Raid AL Central Rivals To Fix Multiple Needs This Winter
With the World Series about to begin, the offseason chatter is already turning toward where the Twins might look to patch holes once free agency opens. Minnesota has reason to stay busy, too, after control person Tom Pohlad indicated the payroll should go up, a sign the front office may finally have the flexibility to shop with more urgency than in recent winters.
That has made the AL Central an especially logical place to hunt for help, since the Twins know those clubs well and can weigh the fit against both price and familiarity. The list of possible targets spans rotation help, bullpen support and a right-handed bat, which is exactly the sort of winter shopping that could address multiple needs at once while leaving Minnesota a little less reliant on internal fixes. [Read more 🡒]
Tommy Nance Gave The Twins A Bullpen Decision To Make
Tommy Nance spent enough time in the majors last season to make himself a familiar name again, and by the end of the year he had also made the Twins think a little harder about what he can be in a bigger role. He opened 2026 on the Blue Jays Opening Day roster, logged a career-high 59 appearances and generally stayed on the mound, aside from some midseason forearm discomfort that did not knock him off track for long. Even so, the late-season version of Nance was not quite as sharp, with fatigue showing up in the way he located his pitches.
For Minnesota, that creates a pretty straightforward offseason question: how much trust does a reliever like Nance earn after a season that was durable but uneven? He has already said he wants more high-leverage chances with the Twins in 2027, and the next step is getting himself into a place where his stuff is ready sooner and his command holds up deeper into the year. The bullpen market is always about proving you can be useful when the game tightens, and Nance has at least given the Twins a reason to keep that conversation going. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face One Big Offseason Question About Their Top Prospects
Minnesotas offseason planning has already turned toward the next question fans will be watching closely: how the club uses its prospect depth to reshape the major league roster. Owner Tom Pohlad has said the payroll may rise in 2027, but for now the Twins are still weighing how to get the most value out of a farm system that has given the organization real leverage as it looks for ways to respond to recent performance and fit the current roster better.
Thats where the discussion around the upper minors gets interesting. The Twins have enough talent in the pipeline to consider dealing from strength, and the most obvious names sit in areas where the system has backed itself into a decision. With catcher depth and a crowded outfield both part of the equation, Minnesota may be willing to move some of its better young pieces if it believes that is the cleanest path to helping the big league club sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]