Credit: Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Spring Training will start for the Minnesota Twins in just two days, when pitchers and catchers are officially scheduled to report down in Fort Myers on Thursday.
Normally, that means the dust has mostly settled on the MLB offseason, and that it’s time to shift our focus over to on-field topics like position battles and which youngers might jump up and surprise people between now and late-March.
✅ Truck
🔜 Pitchers and catchers! pic.twitter.com/vi5UieXD79
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) February 6, 2026
That’s not the case for the MN Twins, however. Entering camp, this team has just one area of obvious strength, where legitimate big leaguers will be jockeying for a chance to pitch in what COULD be a top MLB starting rotation.
Beyond that, however, projecting the final MN Twins’ 26-man roster is a near-impossible task right now, being their current 40-man is so lopsided and unsettled.
Minnesota Twins still looking to deal before start of regular season?
To add fuel to the rumor mill fire, there are still a number of other teams around the league apparently itching to make more moves, just like the Twins, following another slow MLB offseason.
Combine all that with whatever inside background information available to The Athletic beat writer Dan Hayes… and it appears the MN Twins 2026 roster is in for some rather significant shake-ups over the next handful of weeks.
Earlier this week, Philadelphia Phillies honcho Dave Dombrowski suggested there could be a fair amount of trade activity leaguewide still ahead during spring training because the free-agent market was slow.
What such a development might mean for a Twins roster still in flux is certain to keep more than a few players on their toes this spring.
MN Twins’ only strength is the starting rotation
Of course, the Minnesota Twins’ starter conversation begins with Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan — a one, two punch better than any mid to small-market can dream of in today’s Major League landscape of haves and havenots.
After those two aces, the Twins will turn to Taj Bradley, who they acquired at last year’s trade deadline and whose 14 career wins are more than any other 24-year-old starter in baseball (The Athletic).
From there, Minnesota’s 2026 hopes and dreams will ride on whatever story their remaining starters can tell. But going into camp with Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews and Bailey Ober as your fourth and fifth starter options is a damn good problem to have.
Taj Bradley, Wicked 90mph Back Foot Cutter. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/ek3mG59Ap2
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 31, 2025
Bailey Ober, Wicked 85mph Slider. 🤢
15 inches of horizontal break. pic.twitter.com/9WIj6kmA65
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 20, 2024
But take your eyes off the rotation, however, and the Twins roster starts to get weird fast. The Twins enter Grapefruit League play with three or four big league-caliber catchers, most of which hit right-handed.
In the corner outfield, it’s all lefties. Nobody’s quite sure why Trevor Larnach is still on the roster, given left-hitting Matt Wallner appears to have won the right field job and the Minnesota Twins aren’t expected to put minus defenders on each side of Byron Buxton.
Look to the infield, and everyone has something to prove. And while new manager Derek Shelton might have a bunch of borderline big league infielders to work with, some would argue (pretty effectively) that he does not have a starting shortstop.
Early spring impressions could help Twins make decisions
And really, these are only the surface-level problems for a team that’s nowhere near being competitive, and an organization that refuses to invest in more talent. But in this case, that’s what makes a roster-settling shakeup more likely.
Might the Twins dip into their starting pitching depth if they believe Ober can return to form? Would they deal Trevor Larnach and reallocate his $4 million to another area of the 26-man roster? Would they cash in on Jeffers’ final year of team control for bullpen help?
It potentially could be a very active spring for Zoll.
Of course, payroll is projected to be down another $30 million from 2025. The cutdown comes just two years after they cut an initial $30 million from that same budget.
That’s why any impactful moves from the Minnesota Twins are expected to make before the start of the regular season will likely be via trade, not free agency signing.
Mentioned in this article: MLB Trade Rumors Spring Training
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