As the end of the season nears, it's more than just the razor thin playoff races that fans should be paying attention to.
Only one team wins the World Series, which means most of the league will spend October watching the postseason at home while trying to figure out the right roster construction for making a run at a title next season. Nobody is exactly sure what that means when it comes to the Minnesota Twins, a team that is expected to be competitive but is also looking to dump money.
The Twins slashed $30 million out of the payroll last offseason and reportedly weren't interested in making trades at the deadline that involved players with years left on their contracts. Both decisions hindered the front office's ability to meaningfully add to the roster and resulted in half-baked additions like Trevor Richards and Josh Staumont -- neither of whom are still on the team.
Once again the Twins will be faced with some decisions after the season ends, and that starts with seeing who is on the roster now that might not be in a few months.
5 players who are entering their final days on the Twins roster
Max Kepler, OF
This is a tough one, but the writing seems to be on the wall for Max Kepler. He showed some offensive flash this year but not enough to warrant the contract he'll get elsewhere when he hits free agency this winter.
Kepler was hitting .253/.302/.380 when he went on the IL for a second time this season, which is basically his career with the Twins in a nutshell. He has started to find the groove he was in back in 2019 but hasn't been able to consistently hold things there.
He's been a huge part of the lineup, but he's not someone the Twins will bend over backward to keep around, especially since the qualifying offer he'll get is expected to be around $21 million. He's not expendable to the point where he a return shouldn't be considered, but Minnesota is looking to cut costs -- or at least keep them low -- and Kepler's contract will likely be outside of what it's willing to pay.
Like most things this winter, that's ultimately what a decision to let Kepler walk will come down to.