Every offseason tempts teams to chase something shiny, but the Twins may find some of their cleanest fixes by circling back to familiar names.
As Minnesota heads toward the 2027 offseason, the roster picture already points to a few openings, and there are several former Twins who could fit. That doesn’t mean nostalgia should drive the plan.
The case for each player has to hold up on its own, whether that’s with the bat, the glove, the arm, or the underlying numbers. With that in mind, here are some old friends the Twins could at least consider bringing back.
Ty France is one of the more obvious fits. The 32-year-old first baseman struggled offensively in 2025, but he still won a Gold Glove for his work at first base with the Twins and Blue Jays.
He then took a minor-league deal with the team that originally drafted him, and this year he has bounced back in a big way, hitting .295/.363/.502 with 21 home runs in 500 plate appearances, both a career high and a reminder that the bat still plays. France could slot in as Minnesota’s primary first baseman in 2027 and give the lineup another right-handed presence in the middle.
He’ll have interest elsewhere, but the Twins should at least make a call after the revolving door they used at first in 2026 and the way France fit in the clubhouse during his short stay.
Luis Arraez is another name that belongs on the list, even if the fit is less straightforward. His season was split between two teams, starting with the Giants and ending with the contending Phillies.
In San Francisco, he hit .324/.360/.440 across 464 plate appearances; in Philadelphia, that line dropped to .278/.309/.369 in 191 plate appearances. The biggest development came on defense.
Arraez said this offseason he wanted to return to second base, and he backed it up with the best Outs Above Average of his career, finishing at 12. Offensively, it was a rebound after the 101 OPS+ he posted with the Padres the year before, which was a career low.
The Twins already have infield depth and plenty of left-handed bats, so this is not the cleanest match. But with uncertainty around Royce Lewis’s role, Minnesota could still use another infielder, and Arraez would at least be worth serious consideration.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a more unusual reunion, mostly because his first Minnesota stop barely existed. He was a Twin for less than two days before getting traded to the Yankees, and since then he has bounced around to the Blue Jays, Pirates, and Red Sox.
His bat is not the selling point. In Boston this year, he hit .242/.322/.311 in 183 plate appearances, and his career OPS+ sits at 81.
The value comes from the glove and the flexibility. He played all four infield spots this season, with most of his time at second, and he remains a plus defender.
He posted 8 OAA in 2026 and could help as a defense-first bench piece, especially as a fill-in for Culpepper at short and whoever ends up at second. Minnesota could also look internally at players such as Ryan Kreidler or Ben Ross for that utility role, but Kiner-Falefa would give them a known defensive commodity.
On the pitching side, Brusdar Graterol is the kind of buy-low swing that always shows up on these lists. Injuries have wrecked the last stretch of his career, and the Dodgers reliever has thrown only 7 1/3 big-league innings since 2024.
He missed all of the last two seasons and had back surgery in June. Still, when he has been healthy, he has been a weapon.
Graterol owns a 2.78 career ERA, a 3.20 FIP, and a 1.04 WHIP. He should not be counted on for steady innings in 2027, but on a minor-league deal, he would be exactly the kind of low-risk, high-upside bet a team like the Twins often has to make.
He is not as safe as relievers such as David Bednar or Bryan Abreu, but if Graterol’s body cooperates, the payoff could be real.
Steven Okert might be the strongest bullpen fit of the bunch. Since leaving Minnesota after the 2024 season, the left-hander has turned into a different pitcher with the Astros, putting up a 2.58 ERA and 2.99 FIP over 139 1/3 innings across the last two seasons.
The slider has driven the success, and he has shown he can handle both sides of the plate, with an OPS allowed of .591 to right-handers and .545 to lefties. There is some concern in the splits, since he has been far better at home than on the road, with a 0.97 ERA at home and 3.52 away.
Even so, the Twins need left-handed relief help with Taylor Rogers and A.J. Minter on the way out.
Okert would give Derek Shelton and the new pitching coach, whoever that ends up being, another trusted veteran to mix in with Jeff Hoffman, Andrew Morris, Yoendrys Gómez, and the rest of the group.
There are other former Twins who could be discussed too, though not all of them make much sense. Catcher could be a need, which puts Mitch Garver and Christian Vázquez in the conversation as cheap, low-risk options, even if a reunion would be hard to get excited about for either side.
Gary Sánchez could work as a big-league backup. Tyler Austin and Lamonte Wade Jr. could add first-base depth.
Tyler Mahle and Martín Pérez could help the rotation. Caleb Thielbar would be another familiar bullpen name if he does not retire, though his age-39 season was not strong, with a 4.70 FIP in 50 innings.
None of those moves would change the entire roster, but each could add depth, and maybe a little upside if the opportunity is right.
The Twins do not need to sign former players just because they used to wear the uniform. But there are real cases here, and none of them should break the bank, especially with the Pohlads saying they will invest in payroll.
Minnesota still has plenty to sort out before 2027, and one or two reunions could help both the roster and the mood around it. The biggest offseason wins are not always the loudest ones.
Sometimes they are the cheaper moves that fill a need and make a team better. And, sure, a reunion never hurts.
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