3 veterans who have already played their final game for the Twins

With the World Series over and the Los Angeles Dodgers crowned World Series champions, the Minnesota Twins will be able to start making moves for 2025 very soon. After a collapse that led to missing the playoffs in 2024, change would be justifiable, but it is unclear how much action we will see with a potential change in ownership.

That uncertainty might lead to a quiet offseason for the Twins when it comes to transactions, but there are some players who have been staples who are either free agents or have options who very well could be on their way out. This is not accounting for Alex Kirilloff, who announced his retirement Thursday. Some of them were simply rentals who always seemed like they would leave after the 2024 season. However, we could see three familiar faces depart this winter as the Twins look elsewhere to solve problems.

3 Twins veteran players who won't be back in 2025

Caleb Thielbar

It should not come as a surprise to see reliever Caleb Thielbar on this list. His second stint with the Twins, in all likelihood, has come to an end with the conclusion of the 2024 season. After being a useful reliever for Minnesota from 2020-2023, Thielbar regressed hard in 2024, posting a 5.32 ERA, according to FanGraphs. The bullpen was a big problem for the Twins this past season, and a revamp is needed. Relievers are volatile, and Thielbar's 2024 regression is an example of that.

Thielbar is set to become a free agent heading into his age-38 season. At that age, it does not make much sense for Minnesota to bring him back. Whether or not the Twins spend significant money on the bullpen this offseason, they should at least bring in some younger options with upside. Some of the top organizations in baseball thrive on picking up reclamation projects and turning them into quality relievers. Both World Series teams have displayed that ability. That should be the goal for the Twins in 2025.

Kyle Farmer

This one has already happened, as the Twins are moving quickly to start purging some expensive veteran contracts.

Kyle Farmer was a part of the Twins' run to the postseason in 2023, but he fell back closer to his career norm in 2024, posting a wRC+ of 85, according to FanGraphs. With the exception of his exactly league-average mark of 100 in 2023, Farmer has firmly been a below-league-average offensive player, and there is no reason to expect that to change heading into his age 34 season in 2025.

The Twins and Farmer had a mutual option for $6.25 million in 2025, but that ended up getting declined. The Twins also have the internal option of turning second base over to Willi Castro, who has turned in two straight solid seasons for the Twins in 2023 and 2024.

Max Kepler

While Max Kepler disappointed in 2024, this might be the most sentimental departure for Twins fans. He is a home-grown player who debuted way back in 2015 and turned in multiple quality seasons. Unfortunately, everything lines up for him changing teams this offseason, barring him taking a discount to return

Although Kepler seems like a loyal player, it would be understandable for him to bolt in free agency, as he has been floated in trade rumors in recent years. It was a bizarre decline for Kepler in 2024, who usually puts up good advanced metrics, at least according to Baseball Savant, but he was below average in basically every metric this past season. Not only did his quality of contact stats decline, but his plate discipline fell off as well. Obviously, that can go hand-in-hand, as worse swing decisions often lead to worse contact.

Regardless, Kepler disappointed in 2024, and the Twins have options in the outfield for 2025 and beyond. Despite his lackluster numbers in 2024, his prior track record of putting up good advanced metrics could be attractive for a team that believes he can rebound, and a change of scenery could be what is best for both sides.

It seems like Kepler's long stint with the Twins is about to come to an end this offseason.

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