Gabriel Gonzalez entered the year looking like a name the Twins could still circle in pencil. Now, his path in Minnesota looks a lot murkier.
The outfielder, ranked as the club’s No. 9 organizational prospect, came to the Twins from Seattle in 2024 as part of the Jorge Polanco trade. He reached the majors this season, but that debut came in a tiny sample: seven games and just 11 plate appearances.
The bigger picture came in St. Paul, and that’s where the concerns started to pile up.
Gonzalez hit .255/.324/.421 with the Saints, a step back from what he showed in 2025, when he posted a much stronger .316/.358/.504 line. Last year, even in a smaller sample, he was driving the ball better, getting on base more and looking more like the bat Minnesota hoped it had acquired. This season, the results simply weren’t there.
The frustrating part for the Twins is that the batted-ball profile didn’t change much. The contact quality just didn’t move forward the way the organization was probably hoping, and in some ways it went backward.
That matters even more now because the depth chart around him has shifted. Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez got more run late in the season, and Luke Keaschall has started moving into the outfield mix, too.
So where does Gonzalez fit?
Maybe he still does. But it’s hard to see a clean full-time outfield role for him with Byron Buxton still in the picture, Trevor Larnach potentially back next year, and Austin Martin also under team control. The lane is crowded, and the Twins seem to know it.
That’s one reason Gonzalez spent 44 games starting at first base for St. Paul.
It could be a hint at how the organization views his future. He’s only 5-foot-11, and he doesn’t bring the usual first-base power profile.
Still, with some uncertainty at first base long term, that door is at least open. He could also remain an option in the outfield against left-handed pitchers, which would give Minnesota some lineup flexibility.
Even so, the numbers point to a player who hasn’t yet made the kind of offensive leap the Twins need. Gonzalez’s average exit velocity in St.
Paul was 86.2 MPH, and his hard-hit rate was 30.6%. That makes it tough to project him as an everyday threat, especially if first base ends up being the destination.
In the corners, he also doesn’t have the speed or defensive value to cover for limited production with the bat.
That leaves Minnesota with a real decision. The safest read is that Gonzalez may not be part of the long-term plan.
If that’s the case, the Twins would be wise to test the trade market and see whether he can bring back something useful, whether on his own or as part of a bigger deal. A bullpen arm.
A catcher or first baseman who can help in 2027. That kind of return would at least keep the roster moving in the right direction.
There’s still time for Gonzalez to change the story. He’s young enough to rebound, and the door to becoming the player the Twins originally envisioned is not closed. But after a season that fell short of expectations, Minnesota has to ask a harder question now: is he still the best use of a roster spot?
If not, he may be more valuable as a trade chip. And with the Twins trying to get back into contention in 2027, that could be the practical move.
In Other News...
Twins Enter Winter With One Roster Crunch Looming Over Everything
The Twins head into the winter with the kind of roster puzzle that can shape an entire offseason before a move is even made. Ryan Jeffers sits at the center of one of the first decisions, with the club weighing whether to tender him a qualifying offer, while the starting rotation brings its own complications as several pitchers move closer to free agency and the depth chart starts to bunch up.
Beyond the mound, Minnesota has more outfielders than everyday spots to fit them, and Royce Lewis adds another layer to the lineup discussion as the team tries to sort out where he belongs. Payroll planning for 2027 is already part of the conversation too, with ownership signaling a willingness to spend meaningfully but leaving the exact target open, which means the Twins may spend much of the winter balancing present needs against longer-term commitments. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Ownership Questions Arent Going Away After Tom Pohlads Stance
The Twins ownership picture got a little clearer in August, when the Pohlad family chose not to pursue a full sale and instead brought in limited partners, including Vrde Partners, to help address the clubs debt. Tom Pohlad then stepped in as chairman and said the family has no plans to sell the team in the near future, a move that at least temporarily answered the biggest question hanging over the franchise.
Still, the topic does not seem likely to disappear anytime soon. Reports have suggested Vrde Partners could be interested in increasing its stake, and the backdrop matters here: MLB franchise valuations continue to climb, which only keeps outside interest alive. Even with the Pohlads publicly committed to staying in control, the business side of the Twins remains a storyline worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Griffin Jax Just Gave Twins Fans A New Reason To Revisit That Trade
The Rays sweep of the Yankees in the American League Division Series brought an old Twins subplot back into focus, because Griffin Jax was on the mound for Tampa Bay when the biggest game of the series tilted its way. The former Minnesota reliever worked out of the bullpen in Game 3, and his presence deep into October only sharpened the memory of a trade that already invited plenty of second-guessing back in the summer.
Minnesota sent Jax to Tampa Bay at last years deadline for Taj Bradley, a deal that was always going to be measured over time rather than in the moment. Bradley remains under club control through 2029, while Jax is on a shorter runway before free agency after next season, so the comparison still has plenty of runway left. For Twins fans, though, seeing Jax help close out a division-series sweep is the kind of development that makes an old transaction feel fresh again. [Read more 🡒]