The Twins can already see most of their 2027 Opening Day roster, but a couple of important holes still stare back at them.
Catcher is the most obvious one. Relief help is the other, especially from the left side. Those two spots remain open as Minnesota heads toward free agency, and the baseline projection leaves room for exactly that kind of winter movement.
This version of the roster runs with 13 position players and 13 pitchers, including five starters and eight relievers. That leaves 24 named players and two vacancies. Those openings could be filled by re-signings, outside additions, or a few internal battles that sort themselves out in camp.
At catcher, the picture is simple enough for now: Caratini is the one clearly under contract. The second catcher needs to be someone who can handle a meaningful share of the starts, which means either keeping Ryan Jeffers or finding another answer. Jeffers is left off this baseline because his future is still unresolved, and a reunion would plug that hole immediately.
The infield has a mix of stability and uncertainty. Lewis is penciled in at first base, though that job is hardly locked down.
Josh Bell is being held out of the roster while his mutual option is still unresolved, and his return would change the setup. Another acquisition or even a non-tender could shift that spot too.
Lee and Culpepper are projected on the left side, with Clemens at second and Kreidler handling the utility role for defense.
There’s a similar kind of traffic jam in the outfield and at designated hitter. Buxton, Jenkins, Keaschall, Rodríguez and Larnach are all in the mix for three outfield jobs and DH at-bats, with Martin slotted in as the right-handed bench piece.
Alan Roden is still very much in the conversation as an alternate. The logjam gives Minnesota a reason to think about a trade, but for now the projection keeps Larnach in place until something actually changes.
Health drives a lot of this. Buxton’s recovery matters here.
So does Jenkins, who had elbow surgery and was expected to be ready for spring training, as On SI’s Jenkins outlook detailed. If either player hits a snag, Roden’s path gets a lot clearer.
The bullpen starts with Hoffman and then leans on a group of returning arms. Gomez, Morris, Nance, Sands, Funderburk and Adams are all included in six provisional spots. Sands’ role depends on both elbow rehab and a contract tender, while Hoffman is being included on the assumption that his offseason recovery goes as expected.
Minnesota also has two more pending free agents in A.J. Minter and Taylor Rogers, and they’re left out of this version.
If either one comes back, the bullpen chart changes fast. Funderburk gives the Twins one left-handed option, but the open relief spot should still be aimed at another southpaw if they can find one.
Eric Orze, Garrett Acton and Jack Anderson are among the arms who could factor in.
Ryan is another case where contract status doesn’t tell the full story. Even if his mutual option gets declined, Minnesota would still hold his rights through arbitration. That option affects the price tag, not necessarily the roster status.
The rotation picture has one huge swing piece in Lopez. The Star Tribune reported Oct. 24 that he hoped to be ready for Opening Day after Tommy John surgery, but his spot depends on the rehab and the spring buildup that follows.
Connor Prielipp, Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews and Kendry Rojas are also in the mix as rotation alternatives, with health and development deciding how far they can go. An Ober non-tender, a veteran trade or a slower Lopez recovery could all create an opening for that group.
Two other pitchers are kept out of the Opening Day projection for health reasons. Anthony Banda is expected back around the All-Star break after lat surgery, which makes his rehab and contract decision separate from the current roster squeeze. David Festa is also outside this version while recovering from surgery.
Minnesota could still reshape the bullpen even after filling the obvious vacancy. A signing could push a player out of one of the competitive spots, and that would deepen the group all the way down to Triple-A. How much of that happens will depend in part on payroll.
For now, the Twins’ offseason checklist is clear: settle the catching spot, add relief help, and sort out the crowded position groups so the playing time makes sense.
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
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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 🡒]