The Minnesota Twins have some decisions to make in the coming weeks as eight players are eligible for arbitration. While Thursday’s 12 p.m. CT deadline to exchange figures is important, teams can still reach an agreement to avoid going before a three-member arbitration panel in February.
Most teams take the latter route as arbitration hearings can get complicated and damage their relationship with players. With that in mind, here’s a look at who the Twins have agreed to contracts with for 2025 and what could happen next.
Minnesota Twins news: Griffin Jax reaches agreement for 2025 season
The first piece of arbitration news came from The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, who reported that the Twins and Griffin Jax have agreed to a one-year deal at $2.365 million for the 2025 season.
Jax has been a mainstay in the Twins bullpen for the past three seasons but enjoyed a breakout in 2024. The 30-year-old ranked in the 96th percentile or higher in expected batting average (.187), chase rate (38.3%), whiff rate (37.8%) and strikeout rate (34.4%) per Baseball Savant and had strong traditional stats, going 5-5 with a 2.03 ERA and a career-low 0.87 WHIP.
Jax was so good that there were rumors that he could join the rotation as a potential frontline starter earlier this winter. But that rumor never came to fruition and the right-hander will enter 2025 as one of the Twins' top relievers along with fellow arbitration-eligible pitcher Jhoan Duran.
Willi Castro, Bailey Ober reach agreements with Minnesota Twins
The Twins continued to strike deals on Thursday morning, agreeing to contracts with Bailey Ober and Willi Castro for the 2025 season.
KSTP's Darren Wolfson reported that the Twins and Castro agreed on a one-year contract worth $6.4 million next season to avoid arbitration. Coming off his first All-Star appearance where he hit .247/.331/.385 with 12 homers, 60 RBI and 14 stolen bases, Castro also made MLB history with his versatility and will return to a reserve role for the Twins next season despite being mentioned in trade rumors.
Hayes reports that Ober's deal is worth $3.55 million for next season after a breakout 2024 campaign. The right-hander went 12-9 with a 3.98 ERA but was especially good in the second half, holding opposing hitters to a .183/.240/.340 batter's line in his final three starts. Ober will join a top of the Twins rotation that includes Pablo López and fellow arbitration-eligible starter Joe Ryan.
Minnesota Twins reach agreements with Ryan Jeffers, Royce Lewis, Jhoan Duran and Trevor Larnach
Wofson reports the Twins have reached agreements with four more players as the arbitration deadline has passed.
Ryan Jeffers will make $4.55 million on a one-year deal in 2025. The 27-year-old enjoyed a fast start but faded down the stretch, hitting .266/.300/.432 with 21 home runs and 64 RBI last season but will be the Twins starting catcher with Christian Vazquez's name continuing to pop up in trade rumors.
Royce Lewis has agreed to a $1.625 million contract for 2025 as he looks to rebound from a disappointing 2024. Lewis's season didn't get off the ground after suffering a severe quad strain on Opening Day and spent another month on the injured list with a right adductor strain. He finished the year hitting .233/.295/.452 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI and could be in line to play more at second base this season.
Jhoan Duran reached a $4.125 million contract with the Twins coming off his worst season in the bullpen. Duran still owns MLB's hardest fastball with an average velocity of 100.5 mph but he couldn't get batters to chase with a career-low 28 percent rate. After going 6-9 with a 3.64 ERA, he'll return as one of the Twins' top relievers next season.
Trevor Larnach agreed to a $2.1 million contract for 2024. The Twins' 2018 first-round pick played in a career-high 112 games and hit .259/.338/.434 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI last season. He'll start the year as Minnesota's starting left fielder.
Joe Ryan wraps up Minnesota Twins arbitration signings
The Twins wrapped up deals with arbitration-eligible players as Joe Ryan and Jorge Alcala agreed to one-year deals on Thursday afternoon.
Ryan will make $3 million coming off a strong 2024 season. The right-hander went 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA in 23 starts before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in August but reports have been positive on his recovery dating back to last month. A dark horse for next year's AL Cy Young Award, Ryan will be one of the Twins top starters next year.
With all eight arbitration-eligible players signed, the Twins came in $2 million less than FanGraphs' projected heading into the deadline, bringing the team's estimated 2025 payroll down to $140 million. The Twins still want to operate at $130 million next season but Thursday's news brings a piece of information that could get the ball rolling in the coming weeks.