The Twins have a second-base question to answer, and the free-agent market offers a clear fork in the road: go for power with Brandon Lowe or chase contact and defense with Luis Arraez.
Both players fit into Minnesota’s plans if the club decides to pursue outside help at the position, but they bring very different profiles. Lowe is the louder bat. Arraez is the familiar name, the one who once gave the Twins exactly what he has always given teams: relentless contact and a style that runs against the grain of today’s game.
Kody Clemens is part of the conversation too, but his work at second base didn’t stand out. His defensive numbers were better at first base, and he ended up at -3 OAA in the 576 innings he logged at second. Minnesota could try to smooth out those issues and keep him focused there full time, but the cleaner setup would be Clemens handling first while the Twins add a second baseman from outside.
If the goal is impact in the lineup, Lowe makes a strong case. He would bring more punch than the power Josh Bell provided before Bell became a free agent. Lowe turned in the best season of his career in 2026, posting 35 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 4.9 fWAR.
That production could make him the pricier option, though Jim Bowden of The Athletic sees it differently and projects Arraez as the more valuable contract, at $60 million over three seasons compared with $45 million for Lowe.
The age factor also matters. Lowe finished 2026 with 4.9 fWAR at 31 years old, while Arraez posted 4.1. Arraez, meanwhile, made real strides on defense, finishing in the 91st percentile in Fielding and the 97th in OAA with +12.
There will be plenty of interest if either player reaches the market. The New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the San Diego Padres could all be in the mix for a second baseman, which means Lowe and Arraez both have appeal beyond Minnesota.
For the Twins, though, the decision comes down to fit. If they want to push seriously among contenders, they’ll have to choose which path makes the most sense. Lowe still looks like the leading option, though Arraez remains in the picture, and Gleyber Torres does too, even with the regression he showed with the Detroit Tigers in 2026 and the injuries that kept him from sustaining the consistency he had in 2025.
In Other News...
Luis Arraez Suddenly Feels Like A Real Twins Reunion Possibility
With the offseason already taking shape around payroll questions and the uncertainty of collective bargaining talks, the Twins may be staring at a very different kind of winter than the one many expected. Owner Tom Pohlad has hinted the club could be willing to spend more, and that alone has reopened a door that once seemed shut: a possible reunion with former infielder Luis Arraez, whose bat still carries plenty of appeal for a team that knows exactly what he can bring.
Arraezs case is more interesting now than it would have been a year ago because his game has evolved beyond the contact-heavy profile Twins fans remember. He put together a strong offensive season in 2026 and also showed real progress defensively, which changes the conversation around how he might fit if Minnesota decides to get aggressive. A return would still depend on how the rest of the roster comes together, but the idea of Arraez back in a Twins uniform is suddenly hard to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Ryan Just Became A Bigger Twins Offseason Decision
Joe Ryans offseason just got a little more complicated for the Twins, even if the basic answer remains the same: they still control him. Minnesota declined his $13 million mutual option for 2027, a move that shifts the conversation from a preset contract number to the arbitration process, while keeping him in the organization for one more year. For a pitcher who finished the 2026 season as a significant part of the rotation, it is the kind of decision that matters more for planning than for headlines.
What it does not do is hand the Twins extra flexibility or lock in a specific 2027 salary. Instead, it changes how that number gets determined, leaving both sides to navigate the next step of a relationship that still has plenty of value attached to it. For Minnesota, Ryan remains an important piece of the pitching picture, but the route to keeping him now looks a lot different than it did when the option was on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Revisit A Familiar Bullpen Arm At A Price
Emilio Pagn is back on the market after declining his $10 million player option with Cincinnati for 2027, and that immediately puts a familiar name into the conversation for Minnesota. The right-hander has had a winding recent run, but he also showed he could still be a useful late-inning arm after returning from injury in 2025, which is the kind of rebound that tends to get attention when a bullpen-needy club starts sorting through the free-agent pile.
For the Twins, the appeal is obvious because Pagn already spent time in Minnesota and knows the market well enough to make a reunion feel plausible. The question is whether the price now matches the comfort level, especially after the Reds brought him back on two separate contracts and got enough out of him to make him a relevant name again. If the Twins are looking for a bullpen arm with some history and upside, this is one to watch. [Read more 🡒]