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LHP Genesis Cabrera 
Age on Opening Day 2026: 29 
Service Time: 5 years, 149 days.

2023 Salary: $950,000
2024 Salary: $1,512,500
2025 Salary: MILB Contract
2026 MLB Trade Rumor Estimate: $1.4 million

Background
Born in the Dominican Republic, Genesis Cabrera signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in November of 2013. He went to the Cardinals in a trade deadline deal that sent Tommy Pham to the Rays. He made his MLB debut as a 22-year-old in May of 2019 and since then has pitched in 312 big-league games. He spent parts of five seasons in St. Louis before being a deadline acquisition of the Blue Jays in 2023. He stayed in Toronto through the 2024 season. 

2025 Season
Cabrera signed a minor-league deal with the Mets. After a month in the minors, he was called up to the Mets. He made six appearances before being DFAd. The Cubs claimed him, and he pitched in nine games over about a month on the North Side. He was again DFAd, but this time he was claimed by the Pirates. He pitched in nine games before being released by the Pirates. Shortly after, the Twins had just traded more than half of their bullpen. They signed him to a minor-league contract in early August. He pitched in one game for the Saints before the Twins called him up. He spent the final six weeks of the season in the big leagues. 

2025 Stats (Overall): 40 G, 42 2/3 IP, 46 H, 18 BB, 35 K, 6.54 ERA, 1.50 WHIP.
2025 Stats (Twins): 16 G, 14 2/3 IP, 17 H, 11 BB, 13 K, 7.98 ERA, 1.91 WHIP. 

Twins Depth at his Position (Left-Handed Pitcher): 
Kody Funderburk – 40-man roster
Anthony Misiewicz – Arbitration-Eligible
Triple-A: Aaron Rozek, Christian MacLeod, Kendry Rojas, Connor Prielipp
Double-A: Gabriel Yanez, Kade Bragg, Jaylen Nowlin, 

Summary: I would assume that the Twins will want to keep Kendry Rojas and Connor Prielipp as starters, at least early in the season. Bragg is probably the top left-handed relief pitcher prospect in the organization. 

Why the Twins Should Offer Him Arbitration
At this time, Cabrera, Anthony Misiewicz and Kody Funderburk are the lone lefties on the Twins 40-man roster. Like Cabrera, Misiewicz is also arbitration eligible. Cabrera has had success in the big leagues. He throws hard and is still on the right side of 30. If Pete Maki (or whoever the Twins’ pitching coach is) thinks there is something there, then bring him in. 

Why the Twins Should Non-Tender Him 
Cabrera was a minor-league signing a year ago and pitched for four teams during the 2025 season. His stats were not good, so there is no reason to think he’s earned a big-league contract. At this stage, he’s a replacement level type of player. I mean, that’s what he was for the Twins. They traded seven pitchers and five starters in late July; the Twins needed arms. He became a free agent about that time, and the Twins used him as a lefty reliever to finish out the season. 

Projection: I think that it is an easy decision to non-tender Genesis Cabrera. 

However, with a fastball at 95 and a sometimes-solid slider, it isn’t crazy to think that with a couple of tweaks, he could again become a solid reliever. He’s also left-handed. He would be a guy I would try to bring back with a minor-league contract with an invitation to big-league spring training. Relievers are volatile from year to year. We’ve seen it many times. One year can be bad and the next solid. 

What do you think about Genesis Cabrera? Consider his stats and your observations when watching him pitch, and his pitches, are there reasons they should keep him? Easy DFA? Work out some other agreement? What would you do?

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