It's no secret that the Twins need an established first baseman. Ever since Joe Mauer retired following the 2018 season, Minnesota has used temporary options at first base, such as C.J. Cron, Carlos Santana and Ty France, and has also used players who left the team soon after, like Alex Kirilloff and Miguel Sano. The Twins have long been without a long-term established first baseman, and the time to lock one up is now.
3 free agents Twins should target this winter to fix first base problem
Josh Naylor
Naylor, a lefty, has been the Seattle Mariners' starting first baseman since he was dealt to Seattle by the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. Naylor, whom the Diamondbacks acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians last offseason, had the best season of his career in 2025, as he posted a career-high 3.1 fWAR while slashing .295/.353/.462 (128 wRC+) with 20 home runs, 92 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Naylor, 28, is also a plus defender, having collected two outs above average (79th percentile) this year.
Ryan O'Hearn
O'Hearn is coming off the best season of his career, having slashed .281/.366/.437 (127 wRC+) with 17 homers and 63 RBIs in 544 plate appearances with the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres. Even though his season was impressive, O'Hearn likely won't be too expensive to sign, as the lefty first baseman did not surpass 2.0 fWAR in a season until posting 3.0 fWAR in 2025. Additionally, O'Hearn turns 33 next season. Twins fans wouldn't be as excited for O'Hearn as they would for Naylor, but he could still be an affordable first baseman who can do damage at the plate.
Luis Arráez
Arráez began his MLB career with the Twins in 2019 and played with the organization until he was traded to the Miami Marlins for Pablo López in the 2022-23 offseason. Arráez didn't play first base until 2022, his final season with the Twins, but has since then become an everyday first baseman. The Marlins traded him to the San Diego Padres during the 2024 season, and the former Twin is now a free agent.
It will be interesting to see how much money Arráez can get on the open market. He has won three batting titles, yet he lacks power, speed and the ability to play above-average defense at a non-premium position. Arráez's ability to reach base is certainly valuable, but one has to wonder how much the other aspects of his game will affect the amount of money he receives this winter. Arráez will likely be relatively affordable, and the Twins may try to bring him back to Minnesota.