With free agency about to heat up and a possible lockout threatening to jam the offseason into a short sprint, the Twins may not have much time to think small. That’s why Sonny Gray makes for such a compelling idea. Not because Minnesota needs another arm, but because one of its best old arms might be the cleanest way to raise the whole staff’s ceiling.
Gray is exactly the kind of veteran the Twins should be chasing if they want a high-impact addition without getting trapped in a massive long-term deal. He’s 36, he’s not the biggest name on the market, and he doesn’t profile like the sort of pitcher who’ll require the kind of contract that Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta would command. If he keeps going, the most likely outcome is a short deal - a one- or two-year move, not a long commitment.
And the numbers say he still has plenty left. In 2026 with the Boston Red Sox, Gray posted a 2.72 ERA across 169 innings.
Under the hood, the season was just as encouraging: a 33.2% chase rate, a 6.7% walk rate and a 73rd-percentile ground-ball rate. Even with fastball velocity down, he kept mixing six pitches and still got hitters out.
His sinker, in particular, held opponents to a .213 batting average and a .299 slugging percentage.
For Minnesota, this is not a simple roster fit. It’s almost the opposite.
The Twins already have Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober under club control, plus Taj Bradley and Connor Prielipp as younger starters who deserve real runway. Dean Kremer is in the mix too after arriving from the Baltimore Orioles and putting up a 3.48 ERA in 10 starts.
Add in Kendry Rojas and Zebby Matthews as more rotation or bullpen possibilities, and the group already looks crowded.
That’s the point. Gray wouldn’t be coming back to patch a hole. He’d be the pitcher you build around.
The financial piece is where it gets tricky. The current payroll projection sits around $105 to $108 million, depending on whether the Twins tender contracts to Trevor Larnach, Bailey Ober, and Royce Lewis.
If the payroll only climbs modestly into the $115 to $120 million range, Gray probably doesn’t fit. If it pushes into the $140 to $150 million range, there’s suddenly room for something more ambitious.
That’s the swing factor. If Minnesota does have more money to play with, Gray becomes a realistic target and maybe the best kind of target: a proven starter who can lead the group while also giving the front office flexibility elsewhere.
The idea is not to force Gray into a rotation spot just because he’s familiar. It’s to let his presence shape the staff.
He’d be the favorite to start a playoff game if the Twins got there. A rotation with Gray and Bradley at the top, López returning after missing a full season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Prielipp in the mix has a much higher ceiling.
From there, the club could sort out Ober or Kremer for the final rotation spot, with the edge going to Kremer. That would leave the odd man out - likely Ober - available as a trade chip or even a non-tender candidate that clears about $6 million.
Ryan changes the equation too. If the Twins keep him, he slides in as a high-upside mid-rotation starter.
If not, he could bring back a strong return. Either way, Gray’s arrival would give Minnesota more choices, not fewer.
That’s why the reunion makes sense even if the fit isn’t neat. Gray would immediately improve both the stability and the upside of the staff. And if the Twins are serious about opening their competitive window, that’s the kind of move they should be making.
In Other News...
Twins Quietly Cut A Young Pitcher For A Reason Fans Missed
The Twins moved on from another young arm this week, releasing 18-year-old right-hander Eliezer Lucena after a brief run in the organization. Lucena had signed a minor league deal in January 2025 and got into 11 games in the Dominican Summer League, part of the early-stage pitching pipeline Minnesota has continued to sort through as it trims its lower-level roster.
Lucenas release came after he spent the 2026 season sidelined and never got back onto the field once he was placed on the 60-day injured list in June. He is the eighth minor leaguer the Twins have let go since September 2025, a small but steady cleanup of organizational depth that often goes unnoticed until a player like Lucena disappears from the ledger without much fanfare. [Read more 🡒]
Rocco Baldellis Next Move Just Got More Interesting
Rocco Baldellis name had been circulating in the Seattle Mariners managerial search, a reminder that his standing in the game remains intact even after the Twins moved in a different direction. Minnesota handed the job to Derek Shelton in 2026, and the change produced a losing season, which only added another layer to the franchises recent managerial shift.
Now with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a special assistant, Baldelli has removed himself from the Mariners opening for family reasons, putting the brakes on what looked like a plausible next step. Even so, he is still interested in managing again down the road, so this may be less an ending than a pause in a return that clearly still interests him. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Jeffers Projection Could Change Twins Offseason Plans Fast
Ryan Jeffers is already the kind of player who can complicate an offseason in a hurry, and a recent market projection only adds another layer to it. Jim Bowden, the former general manager turned insider, floated a modest two-year deal for the Twins catcher in the 2026-27 free agent class, with Minnesota mentioned as one of the clubs that could make sense if he gets there. For a team that always has to balance budget realities with roster stability, the catching spot is one worth watching closely.
The real question is whether that kind of projection will age well. Jeffers has done enough recently to make it hard to imagine his market staying that restrained, especially if several teams decide they need catching help at the same time. If his value keeps climbing, the Twins may find themselves facing a decision that reaches beyond simply keeping a familiar bat and glove around. [Read more 🡒]