We are approaching September, the final month of the regular season. Rosters will expand (but only by two), and especially with where the Twins are in the standings, opportunities will be given.
The minor-league affiliates finish their season early, unless they are in the playoffs. It appears that the Cedar Rapids Kernels will be the lone Twins affiliate to reach the postseason… as they do every year.
Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids seasons last two more weeks. Their final game is Sunday, September 7.
Cedar Rapids begins their playoff run on Tuesday, September 9.
Wichita plays for three more weeks. Their final game is Sunday, September 14.
The Saints play for four more weeks. Their season concludes on September 21.
It is in the offseason that decisions about 2026 roster building happen, if it hasn’t already happened. Some of those decisions will happen before the season ends. And some of those decisions are in preparation for moves in the offseason.
For instance, the Twins front office may have already made decisions on some players. There may be people on the 40-man roster that they know will be DFAd or non-tendered in the offseason. With that knowledge, there might be an opportunity to DFA them in-season. That would allow that player to potentially catch on with another organization for a couple of weeks. It would also allow a 40-man spot to open up for a potential free agent or someone who would not be given that opportunity if the Twins were playing better and competing for a playoff spot.
At the completion of the World Series, players eligible to become free agents become free agents. That includes minor leaguers.
I’ve always said that I think that players who are signed or drafted by an organization and stay in that organization continuously without making it to the big leagues until they become free agents deserve more recognition. That is seriously impressive. Those players are obviously very, very good baseball players that just didn’t get a big-league call.
There are currently five players in that exact situation with the Twins. Three of them signed with the Twins during the international signing period of 2018-19. Two others were drafted by the Twins in 2019 and remain in the organization. All five have spent seven seasons in the Twins system, and none of them have spent a day in the big leagues.
So, as you read about these five players consider the three options that the Twins have for each, and think about what you would do?
Add to the 40-man roster before the end of the World Series. The Twins have done this with a few players, most recently catcher Jair Camargo.
Re-sign them to a minor-league contract. This can be done before or after the World Series. It can also be done before or after the Rule 5 draft. If the player signs back with the Twins before the Rule 5 draft, he is again subject to selection in the Rule 5. If he waits and signs after the Rule 5 draft, he’s heading to Fort Myers for spring training.
Let them go as free agents. This is often the case, but as a free agent (for the first time since signing with the Twins, they (their representatives) have the right to chat with all 30 organizations, and even teams in Japan, Korea, Europe, or Mexico. And they could sign later with an independent team in hopes of getting another opportunity with an affiliate. Or they retire from baseball.
2019 MLB Draft Picks
Consider this. The Minnesota Twins drafted 41 players. 32 of them signed.
The first-round pick, 13th overall, was infielder Keoni Cavaco. He never reached Double-A. Their Competitive Balance Pick, 39th overall, was Matt Wallner who already has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues.
Their second-round pick was Matt Canterino, one of the most talented pitchers with some of the best “stuff” that we have seen from a pitching prospect. Unfortunately injuries have limited him to just 85 innings since he was drafted. He hasn’t pitched in a game since 2022. He was on the 40-man roster for over two years. After impressing early in spring training, he was injured and needed season-ending surgery. They removed him from the 40-man roster and then signed him to a two-year minor-league deal.
Aside from Wallner, six more Twins 2019 draft picks have reached the big leagues. That includes three players the Twins traded as prospects: Spencer Steer (3rd), Sawyer Gipson-Long (6th), and Casey Legumina (8th). Brent Headrick (9th) debuted with the Twins, pitched in parts of two seasons before the Twins DFAd him. The Yankees claimed him, and he’s been solid when called upon out of their bullpen. Finally, Louis Varland (15th) and Edouard Julien (18th) each spent parts of three seasons with the Twins. Varland was inexplicably traded last month, and Julien’s offseason could be interesting. (The Twins also took Stillwater LHP Drew Gilbert in the 35th round, but he went to the University of Tennessee and three years later was a first-round pick. He made his MLB debut this month with the Giants and has a homer.)
A few more players got close and had their moments as a prospect. Fifth round pick Seth Gray showed impressive power in the lower levels of the minor leagues. 29th round pick Alex Isola spent a couple of seasons at Triple-A St. Paul. Isola was released late in spring training. He has played this season with Lancaster in the Atlantic League.
On Monday, the Twins released 2019 seventh-round draft pick Anthony Prato. He had a bit of a breakout in 2022 in Cedar Rapids, adding extra base power, and showing the ability to play around the diamond. He ended that season playing even better at Wichita. In 2023, he struggled early with the Wind Surge, but there was a need in St. Paul and Prato got the call.
In 72 games with St. Paul in 2023, he hit .302/.452/.539 (.990) with 23 doubles and 10 homers. He returned to the Saints in 2024 and hit .228/.370/.350 (.720) with 20 doubles, six triples and three homers. In 82 games this year, he hit .259/.396/.360 (.755) with nine doubles, a triple and four homers. In 260 games with the Saints, he had 36 bases. He is the Saints franchise career leader by being hit by 31 pitches. An on-base machine. He should get more opportunities with other organizations for 2026, or he could potentially play in Japan or Korea and make some money.
So as of this moment, there are two players remaining that fit the criteria of a.) 2019 draft pick and b.) stayed in the organization c.) without getting to the big leagues. With a month left in the season, they remain with the Twins. Have you already figured out who they are?
Will Holland
Holland and Julien were teammates at Auburn for three years. In 2019, they played in the College World Series. During the CWS, the Twins used their fifth-round pick on Holland, an exceptionally athletic shortstop, one of the fastest players in college baseball. He had a big offensive year as a sophomore, hitting .313/.406/.530 (.936) with 18 doubles and 12 homers. There was certainly steam that he could be a first-round pick in 2019, but instead he hit .246/.376/.401 (.777) with nine doubles and nine homers. The Twins bet on his athleticism and potential and saw a good hitter with speed and a little pop in his bat.
It took a while for his offensive game to come back. He hit for a low average, but he generally had a good on-base percentage, and he showed enough pop to compile lots of extra base hits. He moved up to St. Paul in 2024 and hit .299/.428/.556 (.983) with 10 doubles, a triple and six homers in just 41 games. Unfortunately, his season ended with an injury. He missed a couple of months again this season with injury, but in 57 games, he has hit .220/.319/.382 (.700) with seven doubles and seven homers.
Will Holland can play in the big leagues. No question in my mind. He has a good approach at the plate. His speed can be game-changing as a pinch runner but also on defense. He can play a solid shortstop, and he’s spent time at both third base and second base. He has also spent a lot of time at all three outfield spots. He has the speed to play center, and he has a strong arm. Can he keep the strikeouts down enough to be a decent contributor offensively? That’s really the one big question, in my mind.
Cody Laweryson
With their 14th round pick in 2019, the Twins selected Laweryson out of the University of Maine. He had a strong showing that summer in Elizabethton and was named the Twins Daily Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. In 2021, he was a starter at Cedar Rapids. He returned to the Kernels in 2022 and that’s when he transferred to the bullpen. Before the mid-point of the season, he was promoted to Wichita where he went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA over 59 2/3 innings. He had 69 strikeouts. It earned him an invitation to big-league camp in 2023 and spent that full season with the Saints. He posted a 4.80 ERA and started having some arm injuries and spending time on the IL. In 2024, he spent the full season back in Wichita and posted a 6.82 ERA. This season, he split the season between Wichita and St. Paul and just recently returned from the Injured List.
2018-2019 International Signing Period
Likewise, international signings from the 2018-19 international signing period will also be eligible for free agency following the World Series unless they are added to the 40-man roster before the conclusion of the World Series.
There are three players that the Twins signed during the 2018-19 international signing period that have remained in the Twins organization to this day.
Misael Urbina
In July of 2018, MLB.com ranked their Top 30 international prospects and the Venezuelan-born Urbina was Number 3 on that list. The Twins signed the outfielder for $2.75 million. He made his pro debut in the DSL in 2019 and his .279 with 14 doubles, five triples, two homers, and 19 stolen bases. He also walked 23 times with just 14 strikeouts. When baseball returned in 2021, he moved up to Fort Myers, skipping the FCL. In 101 games, he hit .191/.299/.286 with 12 doubles, five homers and 16 steals. He repeated at Fort Myers in 2022 and played in just 50 games due to injury. He hit .246 with 16 doubles and five homers.
In 2023, he made the jump to Cedar Rapids where he was almost a year-and-a-half younger than the average hitter. In 102 games, he hit .180/.289/.282 (.571) with 18 doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He returned to the Kernels in 2024 and hit .218/.335/.324 (.659) with 16 doubles, two triples and five home runs. In April he turned 23, and he celebrated in Cedar Rapids for the third straight year. Hopefully someone took him to Bushwood. He just came back from the injured list. In 64 games this season, he has hit .243/.354/.386 (.740) with 14 doubles, two triples, and three home runs. Just last weekend, he had a four-hit game.
Rubel Cespedes
Prior to 2021, the international signing period began July 2nd and went the full year. In 2021, the beginning of the signing period moved to January which made it easier to determine when a player could become a free agent. Cespedes signed very late in the signing period. The Twins signed him on April 29, 2019. He was already 18. A month later, he was added to the DSL Twins roster. He came to the States in 2021 and played in the FCL. He then spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons in Fort Myers with the Mussels. He added doubles power in 2022 and in 2023, he hit .233 with 26 doubles, two triples, and 13 home runs.
He began getting playing time in big-league spring training games and advanced to Cedar Rapids in 2024. He got off to a fast start and played well throughout the year. In 110 games, he hit .282/.346/.431 (.777) with 22 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs.
He has played in 91 games for Double-A Wichita this year. He has split his time between first base, third base, and DH. He has hit .244/.307/.395 with 21 doubles, three triples and nine home runs.
Julio Bonilla
Bonilla signed even later than Cespedes. He signed with the Twins on June 1, 2019, three weeks later, he was officially assigned to the DSL Twins. The Santo Domingo native pitched in the DSL in 2019, 2021 and 2022 before coming to the States in 2023 to pitch for the FCL Twins. He threw 25 1/3 innings in both 2019 and 2022, and that remains his season high. He’s struggled on the mound, and he’s struggled to remain on the mound.
In 2024, he pitched in 19 games and 23 innings for the Mighty Mussels. He had a 7.83 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP, and 18 walks (7.0 per 9.0 IP). He did strike out 27 batters, but he hit three and threw four wild pitches. He went on the Injured List June 3rd and returned June 18th. He went on the IL on July 16th and returned on August 12th. He went on the IL on August 27th for the remainder of the season.
He began the 2025 season on the Mussels 60-Day injured List. He began a rehab assignment in mid-June and was activated on July 7th. In 10 innings over eight outings, he gave up four runs on 10 hits and four walks, but he also struck out 12 batters. On August 13th, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he has pitched three innings in three games. He’s given up three runs on two hits and three walks, and he’s got four strikeouts.
Easy choice to let the 24-year-old go, right? But I spent time looking at his Statcast game data, and it’s easy to understand the intrigue. Bonilla stands 6-3. He throws four different pitches. He has two fastballs (Four-seam and sinker) that average about 94 mph and touched 97. His cutter sits in the 86-88 range. He also throws a low-90s slider. He gets a ton of movement on the sinker and even the four-seamer. In his first four appearances in Fort Myers, he threw approximately 25-30% of his pitches outside the strike zone. In his last four appearances with the Mussels, he was closer to 50/50. If a team knew he could stay healthy, which no team can say with certainty about any pitcher, especially with Bonilla. But just based on his stuff and velocity, he seems like he’d be a great project to take on and see what he can become.
There you have it. There are five players in the Minnesota Twins organization who will become free agents after spending the past seven seasons in the Twins system. These players deserve recognition for their “service time,” and it is worth discussing if the Twins should bring any of them back in the offseason. What do you think? Would you try to sign any of these players?
My Opinion
1.) Add none of them to the 40-man roster.
2.) Attempt to re-sign all of them, but especially Holland, Cespedes and Bonilla.
Your turn. Which, if any, of these players would you attempts to bring keep in the organization for 2026? Also, thank you for reading through here about these five guys who have toiled in the minors for so long and deserve to be recognized.
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!