The Twins are sitting in a tricky middle ground as the 2026 trade deadline creeps closer. At 42-46, they’re not buried, but they’re also not in a comfortable place.
Minnesota trails the final AL Wild Card spot by three games and sits four games behind the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. With the most runs scored in the AL, the club could stay in the mix for another month.
It could also slide out of the race before the Aug. 3 deadline.
That uncertainty is what makes the roster so interesting. Joe Ryan, Ryan Jeffers and Josh Bell are the obvious names if the Twins decide to sell.
But they aren’t the only players who could end up on the move. A couple of useful utility types may not be as secure as they look.
Kody Clemens is one of them. The 30-year-old hasn’t even reached arbitration yet, and on a team still trying to win now, that alone would usually point toward keeping him around.
He’s been a breakout piece for Minnesota this season, worth 1.3 fWAR with a .241/.303/.474 line, a 112 wRC+ and 14 home runs. He’s also given the Twins flexibility all over the field, logging innings at all three outfield spots, first base and second base in 2026.
But if Minnesota decides to shift into seller mode, Clemens suddenly becomes the kind of player you listen on. The Twins have younger talent coming, with Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez likely part of the near future. If the club chooses development over chasing wins, moving Clemens while his bat is hot and his versatility is valuable would bring back something useful.
Ryan Kreidler fits a similar profile. The 28-year-old is having the best season of his career by a wide margin after spending years as a Quad-A type.
In 116 plate appearances with Minnesota, he’s hitting .279/.353/.490 with a 134 wRC+ and five home runs. He can handle shortstop and center field at an above-average level, and he’s still in pre-arbitration.
For now, the Twins should keep Kreidler as their starting shortstop. But if the standings turn against them, his value may never be higher than it is right now. Trading him would make sense, and it would also open the door for Culpepper, Minnesota’s top infield prospect, to step in at shortstop.
In Other News...
Twins Farm Gets One Needed Boost Amid Another Concerning Update
The Twins farm system got a little healthier in one spot and a little thinner in another, a familiar tradeoff at this time of year. Christian Becerra was back on the mound for High-A Cedar Rapids after a stint on the 7-day injured list, while the broader minor league picture also brought a few encouraging signs across the organization, including another strong day from St. Pauls offense and some useful innings from pitchers trying to steady their seasons.
Kaelen Culpeppers addition to the Futures Game roster added a brighter note to the systems midseason outlook, giving Minnesota another prospect to track on a bigger stage. But the update also came with a setback elsewhere in the pipeline, a reminder that depth in the minors can change quickly even when one player is moving back into the mix and another is earning a spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Finally Have A Real Opening For Kendry Rojas
Kendry Rojas has given the Twins enough to dream on since arriving from Toronto, even if the picture is still blurry. The left-hander brings real velocity and a slider that can miss bats, but the command has not always matched the stuff, which is why Minnesota has been shuttling him through a hybrid mix of starting and relieving without settling on a firm lane.
Now the Twins have to decide whether the best path for Rojas is to keep stretching him out or narrow the job and let the arsenal play up in shorter bursts. Louis Varland has become the obvious reference point from the same trade, and that kind of bullpen conversion is at least on the table as Minnesota weighs what Rojas can be long term. [Read more 🡒]