FORT MYERS, Fla. — They have a new manager for the first time in eight seasons, their first new head of baseball operations since 2016, a new point man for ownership and a roster that hasn’t yet recovered from last year’s trade deadline exodus.
To say the Minnesota Twins of 2026 face a number of questions entering spring training would be a serious understatement.
Facing another massive payroll cut, the Twins hold their first workout of the spring Thursday as pitchers and catchers get their seasons underway. There are perhaps surprisingly still several familiar faces rostered in Joe Ryan, Pablo López and Byron Buxton, any of whom one could have made a logical argument should have been traded after the Twins dealt 10 players off the major-league roster at last year’s trade deadline.
But all three were retained and asked to play key roles in what ownership is calling an important season, one in which the team desires to play competitive baseball in September. They’ll try to do so despite fewer dollars being spent on the major league product, including a bullpen that has hardly been replenished after the entire back end was traded in July.
The bullpen features its own set of questions, few of which likely can be answered in spring training. The work that must be done by general manager Jeremy Zoll and manager Derek Shelton to define roles will be a topic for the rest of the season. With that in mind, here are three other key questions the Twins must answer between now and Opening Day.
Who’s the shortstop?
When they re-signed him 37 months ago, the Twins expected Carlos Correa to man shortstop for the long haul. But Correa, watching the walls cave around him last July, asked for a trade, and the Twins dumped his salary despite not having a surefire successor.
Brooks Lee is the leader to start at shortstop, but he needs to show improved mobility and find more consistency with his bat. Lee was a below-average defender and hitter in his sophomore season, though he’s got good hands and a steady arm. If his range increases and Lee hits more like the player they believe he is, the Twins won’t need to look very far.
But if he doesn’t, the Twins could be in for a long season. There are no sure options behind Lee ready to make an impact at the major-league level. Though Zoll continues to search for middle infield help, the pickings are slim. Teams simply don’t want to part with usable shortstops.
Ryan Kreidler and Orlando Arcia are the top internal options behind Lee.
Twins starter Bailey Ober has worked all offseason to bounce back from a trying 2025. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)
Which Bailey Ober will show up and how will he impact the rotation?
In an attempt to improve his hip mobility and regain the mechanics he lost last season after suffering an injury, Ober spent much of the offseason working with a specialist. He hopes the work pays off in the form of a more limber body and rediscovering the pinpoint accuracy with which he’s always thrown, along with a few ticks on the radar gun.
Early on, Ober likes what he’s seen.
“It’s a big difference, at least from my eyes, where I was compared to then,” Ober said recently.
Adding the Ober of old would do wonders for the Twins’ starting rotation depth behind López and Ryan. Before last year’s struggles, Ober was as dependable as they come, a pitcher who almost always completed six innings and kept his team in the game.
Adding that version of Ober back into the fold would also make for a good problem, as the Twins boast several talented arms competing for one of the final spots in the rotation.
Who could be gone by Opening Day?
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. After all, this is the team that traded recently returned Taylor Rogers on the eve of the 2022 season.
As the Twins arrive at camp, they still could use a shortstop and additional help in the bullpen. The roster also features a glut of left-handed-hitting outfielders and depth at catcher, which is odd because Ryan Jeffers is without a doubt heading for free agency after the season concludes.
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.