Here are all of the Twins players who will be free agents after the 2024 season

Now that the Minnesota Twins' season is over, the tough task of sifting through the rubble of a historic collapse begins.

Part of that will be assessing which pieces should remain and which ones can be allowed to get taken off the board. Joe Pohlad has already claimed the payroll won't shrink again, but considering how small it already is that isn't saying much. Instead of adding any big pieces in free agency, the likeliest path forward for the Twins is to reshuffle things in-house.

Read More: Every Twins player up for arbitration this winter and how much they might get paid

That means looking at guys with expiring contracts and deciding if any of them should be brought back. What budget the front office has will dictate a lot of that, but it could be that we see some notable players walk away and sign deals elsewhere this winter.

Twins have some notable players hitting free agency after the 2024 season

Anthony DeSclafani, SP

• Unrestricted Free Agent
• Contract: $4M

He came to Minnesota as part of the Jorge Polanco trade, but Anthony DeSclafani didn't pitch a single inning for the Twins. There was hope that he'd be able to replace Kenta Maeda at the back of the starting rotation, but an elbow injury in Spring Training wiped out his entire season.

The upside is that the Twins barely paid any money for him in 2024. Minnesota got Seattle to foot the bill for most of his $12 million salary which dated back to the Mariners acquiring him from San Francisco. In theory the thought process in adding him to the roster was correct, at least by the Twins' logic. Minnesota needed to replace some innings and DeSclafani was a classic injury-prone veteran flier the team loves to take.

It didn't work, and unless the Twins can get him back at or below the $4 million they paid last season it doesn't feel like he'll be back.

Jorge Alcala, RP

• Club Option
• Contract: $1.5M

It was a topsy-turvy season for Jorge Alcala, who looked good early but fell apart late in the season when the Twins needed him most. He was on the mound for the implosion against the Rangers in August that kickstarted the month-long losing slump that saw Minnesota fumble away a near-90 percent chance of making the playoffs.

He finished the year with a 3.24 ERA but for most of the season he was absolutely solid. Save for a few rather significant flare ups, Alcala posted a 1.63 ERA in 38.2 innings between Opening Day and the end of July.

There was a stretch in April where he was hurt and he got optioned in early May after giving up four runs in an appearance against Seattle but once he returned he had a 0.95 ERA from May 26th to August 2nd.

The wheels came off after that, though, but that wasn't exclusive to Alcala. Minnesota's entire bullpen struggled, and the team would be foolish to not pick up the $1.5 million option to bring him back for what could be a nice bounce back season if he can tap into what he was doing over the summer.

Manuel Margot, OF

• Mutual Option
• Contract: $12M

Acquired from the Dodgers as Byron Buxton insurance, Manuel Margot never lived up to what the Twins needed him to be. He hit lefties pretty well, which was the main reason Minnesota brought him in over someone like Michael A. Taylor, but the list of positives with Margot is short.

He started the year by bunting in a two outs bases loaded situation in Milwaukee and ended the season 0-for-29 as a pinch hitter. He tapped out in the middle of the Twins' collapse due to injury, and returned to hit .143/.189/.229 as the season slipped away.

Like DeScalfani, the Twins were able to get most of his contract paid for and were only on the hook for $4 million of his deal. There's a higher chance of the sun not rising tomorrow than there is Minnesota picking up his $12 million option, as he figures to be a one-and-done bust with the Twins.

Carlos Santana, 1B

• Unrestricted Free Agent
• Contract: $5.25M

While ownership slashing payroll by $30 million and treating the team like it were a car dealership rather than a baseball team, not all of the offseason moves fell flat. Carlos Santana was the firs ttrue free agent addition last year, signing with the Twins after the team salary dumped Jorge Polanco and got some money back from Seattle.

Part of that was used to sign Santana, with the idea he'd be the team's annual aging name brand veteran addition. It took a while for him to settle in, but Santana finished the year .238/.328/.420 but was left a far greater impact defensively.

His bat came through from time to time, but there's a chance that Santana wins a Gold Glove for the work he did at first base for Minnesota. That was unexpected value, as he was brought in to be a slugger and grease the wheels at the plate, but it was his glove that he'll be remembered for after he leaves.

That seems to be how this goes, as the Twins are unlikely to run things back with Santana. One thing that might work in his favor is there isn't really a solid plan at first base, especially with Alex Kirilloff entering his third straight offseason of uncertainty. Payroll is the ultimate compass, though, and if the Twins simply reshuffle things rather than reload, Santana could be on the outside of the roster bubble.