Wednesday, October 29

With Game 3 of the World Series set for tonight, the official start of the offseason is almost here. It’s still 3 1/2 months 'til Spring Training gets under way in Fort Myers, but within a few days, Hot Stove season will begin. 

Here’s a look at what you need to know as the Twins approach a pivotal winter. 

Which players are free agents? 

The Twins have only one pending free agent -- catcher Christian Vázquez.  

Is he likely to receive a qualifying offer, and what is the deadline for that? 

There is virtually zero chance that Vázquez will receive a qualifying offer, which is when the club offers one of its free agents a one-year contract for the upcoming season that is equal to the average salary of the 125 highest-paid players. That number is $22.025 million for 2026.  

Could he return anyway? 

Yes, it’s definitely possible that Vázquez could return, though it would almost certainly be at a lower salary than the $10 million he made in 2025. There is no obvious backup for Ryan Jeffers in the Twins’ system, so if it’s not Vázquez, the club will likely add a backup catcher through trade or free agency. 

Which players have options, what are the dollar figures and when do they need to be decided upon? 

Justin Topa is the only Twin with a 2026 option, and it’s an interesting situation because he is not eligible for free agency regardless. The Twins can exercise the option for $2 million or buy it out at $225,000, and they have until five days after the World Series to decide. 

What makes it somewhat unusual is that, even if they decline the option, they still have control of Topa. In that case, he would simply become an unsigned arbitration-eligible player like several other members of the team. 

Who might be a non-tender candidate, and when is the deadline? 

There are definitely a few candidates. And a brief refresher: “non-tender” is when a team declines to offer a new contract to a player who is still under team control, making the player a free agent. This is most commonly done when the club expects the player to make more through the arbitration process than it would like to pay. 

So who could be in the mix? Trevor Larnach is at the top of the list. Larnach made $2.1 million last season, and as a bat-first player coming off a league-average offensive year, he may be squeezed out as the Twins look to move to a more athletic roster. Topa would also be a potential candidate, as well as reliever Michael Tonkin. 

Ryan Jeffers, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Royce Lewis and Cole Sands are all arbitration-eligible, as well, but all are likely to be tendered a contract for ’26.   

Also a reminder: as the tender deadline approaches, trades are not uncommon. The Twins would much rather trade a player and get something than simply cut him loose. The deadline for these decisions is Nov. 21. 

Who needs to be added to the 40-man roster, and do they have a crunch for roster spots? 

The Twins have 10 top-30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, who must be added to the 40-man roster or else risk being lost to the Rule 5 Draft: No. 5 prospect Kendry Rojas, No. 8 Gabriel Gonzalez, No. 9 Connor Prielipp, No. 17 C.J. Culpepper, No. 19 Andrew Morris, No. 24 Jose Olivares, No. 25 Hendry Mendez, No. 26 Ricardo Olivar, No. 29 Kala’i Rosario and No. 30 Danny de Andrade.  

The 40-man roster currently stands at 39, and that’s where it will be again after Vázquez officially becomes a free agent and Alan Roden is activated off the 60-day injured list. 

So, yes, there will be something of a crunch. 

How might that be resolved, and when does that need to be set? 

Quite a few of those players will certainly be added to the 40-man: names like Rojas, Gonzalez and Prielipp are obvious, and several others will likely be easy calls, as well. Meanwhile there are certainly some players on the 40-man who could be cut loose or simply outrighted – in particular, look at some of the relievers who were added after the Trade Deadline as leading candidates to be trimmed.  

The club could also attempt to trade some of those players, as well as some of their non-tender candidates. The deadline for Rule 5 eligibility is Nov. 18. 

What kind of help do they need?  

The most obvious area, by far, is the bullpen. Minnesota traded almost every member of one of the league’s best bullpens, and while there are some intriguing internal options to take those spots, the relief corps will need to be rebuilt.  

Minnesota needs a backup catcher, and it needs to decide if Kody Clemens will continue as the primary first baseman. There’s also the simple matter of offensive depth. Too often in 2025, the Twins' offense went cold with the removal of one or two key players. 

Will they be active in free agency?  

This is somewhat difficult to know until we know the payroll, which has not been divulged yet. However, in the past two offseasons, the Twins have been bargain hunters in free agency, waiting until late in the winter and then adding tactically.  

Who might they be willing to trade? 

This is probably the biggest unknown at the moment, aside from the payroll, since it will be determined by the payroll. If the budget comes down, then names like Pablo López and Jeffers could conceivably be on the block. Even if they don’t cut payroll, it’s possible that they could listen to offers on Joe Ryan, though they’d need to be blown away to move him. It’s unlikely the Twins would trade prospects this winter.  

Oops, all Rolling Stones! 

“Loving Cup” 

“Winter” 

“Time Waits for No One” 

“Hand of Fate” 

“Before They Make Me Run” 

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