The Minnesota Twins shockingly traded 10 players from their big-league roster last July. The players Minnesota dealt include infielder Carlos Correa and righty relievers Jhoan Durán, Louis Varland, Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart. All five of those players are under contract with their new teams, while the other five players the Twins dealt are currently free agents.
Let's predict where three of the free agents who were on the Twins pre-trade deadline last year will land this offseason.
Predicting where 3 free agents from Twins' trade deadline fire sale will sign
OF Harrison Bader - Detroit Tigers
While the Tigers already have a center fielder in Parker Meadows, they could use a more established veteran to man center. Bader, whom The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports is seeking to sign a three-year contract, would be a perfect fit for the Twins' division rival.
The Twins signed Bader to a one-year, $6.25 million contract with a mutual option for 2026 this past offseason. In July, the Twins traded Bader to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-hander Geremy Villoria. Bader declined his 2026 option after the season ended.
Bader surpassed the Twins' expectations in his short time with the organization, posting 2.7 bWAR and a .258/.339/.439 (113 OPS+) slash line while playing spectacular defense in left field and occasionally center field to give 2025 Silver Slugger Award-winner Byron Buxton rest. Upon being traded to the Phillies, Bader performed even better at the plate, hitting .305/.361/.463 (124 OPS+) with five home runs in 50 games with the Phillies while mostly playing center field. He missed time during the NLDS between the Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers after injuring his groin in Game 1 of the series.
UTL Willi Castro - Atlanta Braves
In early December, ESPN's Jorge Castillo reported the Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies are interested in former Twins utilityman Willi Castro, who was traded to the Chicago Cubs for pitching prospects Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong on July 31, 2025.
The Braves suffered numerous brutal injuries last season, meaning they likely want to ensure they have plenty of position player depth for 2026. Since Castro can play every position except for catcher and pitcher (he has yet to play first base, but likely can), he'd be the perfect fit for a team seeking to bolster their bench. MLB Trade Rumors predicts Castro signs a two-year, $14 million deal this offseason.
LHP Danny Coulombe - Minnesota Twins
As we Twins fans know, Minnesota desperately needs bullpen help. President Derek Falvey has already traded for righty reliever Eric Orze, but more moves must be made to ensure the bullpen isn't a complete disaster as it was post-trade deadline last season. Kody Funderburk is the only lefty slated to be in Minnesota's bullpen, so reuniting with Coulombe would make perfect sense.
Coulombe has had a lot of success in a Twins uniform, so signing with Minnesota would likely be a good idea for the lefty. If the Twins aren't competing for a playoff spot by the time the trade deadline arrives and Coulombe is on the team, the lefty is almost guaranteed to find himself on a contending team via a trade, as long as he is having a healthy and productive season.
The Twins signed Coulombe, 36, to a one-year, $3 million contract last offseason. He had a dominant 1.16 ERA with 31 strikeouts and nine walks across 31 innings with Minnesota before being traded to the Texas Rangers for lefty pitching prospect Garett Horn on July 31.
With Texas, he spent time on the Injured List due to left shoulder fatigue. He also missed a few weeks with the Twins due to a left forearm extensor strain.