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Minnesota Twins 2025 offseason preview: After trade deadline tear-down, can the Twins can back in the mix next year?

2025 season: Eliminated Sept. 13

With Minnesota eliminated from the 2025 postseason, let's take a look at the season that was for the Twins, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for next year.

Things that went right

The Twins stayed in the hunt for a postseason berth until the All-Star break. Unfortunately, after the team opened the second half on a sour note, Minnesota's front office sold off almost everything that wasn’t nailed to the floor at the trade deadline.

Byron Buxton was the offensive star, though his success came with his usual injury woes. Buxton missed a couple of weeks in the first half due to a concussion and landed on the IL in late July because of a rib injury. But when he was healthy, Buxton was one of baseball’s most dynamic players, which resulted in his second career All-Star Game appearance.

Joe Ryan was the star of the rotation, and the organization resisted heavy pressure to trade him at the deadline. The right-hander followed his typical script for success, racking up plenty of strikeouts, rarely issuing walks and generating easy outs on fly balls. Ryan easily counts as a staff ace, and most would agree that he’s a top-10 starter in the American League.

Out of the bullpen, Jhoan Duran did everything the team asked of him for the first four months. The hard-throwing righty helped keep the team in the race by being one of the most reliable closers in baseball, and he brought in a substantial prospect haul when management traded him to Philadelphia.

Things that went wrong

So many Twins had mediocre offensive seasons. Among the disappointments were several of those who were expected to make a real impact. That list is headlined by Royce Lewis, who was again injured and inconsistent. Lewis missed most of the first half due to a hamstring injury and had a .583 OPS in the 42 games he played. He picked things up a bit in the second half, with a .764 OPS through Sept. 13, but it was too little, too late.

Carlos Correa was the other potential star who fell far short of expectations. He produced just seven homers and a .704 OPS in 93 games prior to the trade deadline, when the front office made the decision to send him back to Houston. Given that the team wasn’t far out of the race at that point, it’s easy to see how the Twins' season could’ve been completely different if Lewis and Correa had been impact players in the first half.

Even so, the most disappointing group in Minnesota was the rotation, in which several starters were injured or ineffective. Pablo López pitched well, but through just 11 starts before he spent the summer on the 60-day IL. Bailey Ober struggled throughout the season and also spent time on the IL in the summer. Twins fans spent spring training clamoring for David Festa and Zebby Matthews to get the chance to crack a crowded rotation. But when opportunities arose during the season, both proved they weren’t ready to help the big-league club.

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Offseason outlook

Despite trading away many players at the deadline, the Twins have some intriguing infield options for 2026. Catcher Ryan Jeffers is not a star, but he’s someone they can count on to log a heavy workload at a premium position. Luke Keaschall showed plenty of potential in the second half and should be the team’s second baseman. He will turn double plays with Brooks Lee, who will need to improve his on-base skills if he hopes to maintain a full-time role. And Lewis will try to finally put together a healthy, productive season at the hot corner. Minnesota's front office will likely need to dip into free-agent waters to find a first baseman.

Buxton will lead the lineup and play center field as long as he stays healthy. Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach are basically the same player: lefty mashers who are effective against right-handers but usually belong on the bench vs. southpaws. Wallner plays right field, while Larnach spends his time in left. Unfortunately, Alan Roden, who arrived from Toronto at the trade deadline, is another lefty batter and therefore not a great complement to Wallner and Larnach. Management could consider bringing back Harrison Bader, who can play all three outfield positions and bats from the right side. He was a great fit prior to his trade to the Phillies.

With Ryan and López, the Twins can match the top two starters of any American League team. Things are murky after that, but a bounce-back season from Ober, who opened 2025 with a lifetime 3.76 ERA, would really stabilize the rotation. With Festa, Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson, the team has three young starters who can battle for rotation spots in spring training. And Taj Bradley, who arrived from the Rays at the deadline and has already thrown more than 350 major-league innings, cannot be counted out. Put it all together, and it’s easy to see how this group could suddenly flip the script and become a strength.

But the bullpen was gutted in July, when Duran, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Louis Varland and Danny Coulombe were all traded. Cole Sands and Justin Topa are the only two remaining relievers who can be counted on. The front office will need to decide if it wants to sign multiple free-agent relievers or use the bullpen to promote some of its young pitchers. A combination of those two plans might be the best move.

Prospects on the horizon

Thanks in part to their moves at the trade deadline, the Twins have one of the best pools of prospect talent in baseball. Two of the team’s better prospects, Keaschall and Mick Abel, have already picked up some MLB experience. Keaschall will certainly be a starting player next year, and Abel will push the likes of Festa and Matthews for an Opening Day rotation spot.

The top two players in the farm system are both outfielders, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez. Jenkins missed a couple of months early in the season due to an ankle injury but has since advanced to Double-A. The fifth overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, Jenkins is a natural center fielder with strong offensive skills in all areas. Rodriguez is also a center fielder, and he’s closer to his debut, given that he’s two years older and has already reached Triple-A. He could open 2026 on the Twins’ roster, and by next summer, the team could have an exciting outfield trio of Buxton and these two youngsters.

Although there are no sure things among the rest of Minnesota’s pitching prospects, there are several players who could contribute next year. That list includes Kendry Rojas, who arrived from Toronto at the trade deadline, Connor Prielipp, C.J. Culpepper and Marco Raya.

Goals for 2026

The Twins' massive deadline selloff and deep prospect pool have created a wide range of possibilities for next season. There’s a strong chance the team finishes near the bottom of the American League, particularly if their young players are unable to make strides. But there’s also the best-case scenario, in which the Twins’ long list of 25-and-under players forms an exciting corps, and the club rejoins the postseason hunt. Of course, getting full seasons from the team’s few established veterans, notably Ryan, López and Buxton, will be a necessity.

There’s also a chance that the front office lengthens the rebuilding process by trading Ryan or Buxton this winter. Alternatively, team president Dave St. Peter and general manager Jeremy Zoll could hasten the return to contention by adding a first baseman and multiple relievers via free agency. Either way, it’s shaping up to be an exciting and pivotal offseason in the Twin Cities.

Fantasy focus

Ryan will be the most sought-after Minnesota player in 2026 fantasy drafts. He will be selected in the range of Round 4, with López coming off the board a couple of rounds later. The rest of the pitching staff will be late-round picks, including Ober and whoever emerges as the projected closer.

Buxton will be the first Minnesota hitter off the board. His exciting talent and lengthy injury history make him an annual boom-or-bust pick who is drafted in the range of Round 7. Keaschall showed enough potential late in the season to be a Round 10 pick in many leagues. Lewis still has enough upside to be selected late in drafts, and the rest of the team’s hitters will open 2026 on waivers in most leagues.

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