The Minnesota Twins head into the offseason with plenty of questions and no shortage of areas in need of improvement. An inconsistent bullpen, uncertainty at first base, and a lineup that could use another dependable bat leave the front office with some important decisions to make.
The Twins have plenty of holes to fill, but with ownership's long-standing reluctance to open the checkbook, nobody expects a spending spree. The front office will have to make every dollar count. And with the names being tossed around this offseason, some are going to be worth a closer look than others. With that in mind, let's consider three very different possibilities for Minnesota's offseason: the dream acquisition, the realistic addition, and the trade that could prove to be a costly mistake.
The Dream: Bring Tarik Skubal back to the AL Central
Alright, let's dream a little first: What if the Minnesota Twins could turn one of their most formidable division rivals into their own ace?
Twins fans know Tarik Skubal all too well, and not for particularly pleasant reasons. After years of tormenting Minnesota hitters as a Detroit Tiger, Skubal finished 2026 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is headed for free agency. Bringing him back to the AL Central in a Twins uniform would be quite the twist.
The two-time Cy Young winner hasn't shown many signs of slowing down, either. Skubal went 12–7 in 2026 with a 2.72 ERA, 186 strikeouts, and a 0.96 WHIP over 158⅔ innings. He's still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, despite having an "off" year, and he's going to have plenty of teams interested in his services.
Adding Skubal to a rotation with Joe Ryan and Pablo López would be something to see. López is throwing again after Tommy John surgery, and assuming he's ready for 2027, Minnesota could have a pretty intimidating starting three. Better yet, Skubal wouldn't cost the Twins any prospects. Just money. A whole lot of money.
Of course, there's a catch. A rather expensive one. Skubal enters the offseason as one of the most coveted free agents in baseball. His next contract could command the kind of money Minnesota ownership has historically been reluctant to spend. The Dodgers have the resources to retain him, and Detroit could make a serious effort to bring its former ace home.
Of course, the Twins would have plenty of stiff competition for Skubal, including teams with much deeper pockets and better postseason records. There's also the matter of his elbow. He missed time in 2026 following a procedure, which is something to think about before handing out a massive contract. But this is a dream acquisition, after all. Nobody really expects the Twins to outbid the Dodgers, Yankees, or the other big spenders. Still, wouldn't it be nice to see ownership open the checkbook for once and bring in a player of Skubal's caliber? Don't hold your breath, Minnesota.
The Twins have some talent to work with, but hoping everyone stays healthy and lives up to expectations isn't much of an offseason strategy. Skubal would give Minnesota another legitimate ace and send a message to the rest of the division. And after all those years of watching him dominate Twins hitters, seeing Skubal do the same thing to Detroit and the rest of the AL Central would be awfully satisfying.
The Smart Move: Adrián Morejón could be the bullpen answer
Dreaming about an ace is entertaining, but Minnesota has a more immediate problem to solve: the bullpen. So let's come back down to earth and look at a much more realistic move.
The Twins finished 2026 with a 4.74 bullpen ERA, ranking 26th in baseball. Their closers weren't necessarily the problem. Getting the ball to them with a lead still intact was another matter. That's where Adrián Morejón comes in.
The 27-year-old lefty appeared in 76 games last season for San Diego, recording a 2.83 ERA, 107 strikeouts, and a 1.08 WHIP across 86 innings. Those numbers weren't a fluke. He posted a 2.83 ERA in 2024 and an even better 2.08 in 2025. That's three straight seasons of solid relief pitching, something Minnesota could certainly use. News that shocks no one, I'm sure.
Minnesota doesn't need Morejón to take over the closer role, but a reliable late-innings arm would go a long way toward fixing the bullpen's woes. It would also take some of the pressure off younger pitchers like Travis Adams, who showed promise in 2026 but still has some developing to do going into 2027.
Morejón is headed for free agency, so the Twins wouldn't have to give up prospects to get him. Of course, three consecutive strong seasons won't come cheap, and Minnesota won't be the only team interested. There's also the possibility of a qualifying offer from San Diego, which could make signing him a little more complicated. Still, this is the kind of move the Twins should be looking at.
They don't need to spend a fortune chasing another closer when the bigger issue is getting through the middle and late innings without giving up the lead. Morejón might not be the flashiest name on the market, but Twins fans would appreciate a lot fewer late-inning headaches.
The Mistake: Rafael Devers brings more than a big bat
There's no denying the Minnesota Twins could use another dependable offensive threat. But acquiring a productive hitter shouldn't mean ignoring everything else that comes with him. That brings us to Rafael Devers.
On paper, Rafael Devers looks like exactly what Minnesota needs. The San Francisco Giants slugger hit 37 home runs in 2026, drove in 98 runs, and finished with an .865 OPS. There's no question the Twins could use that kind of production. As we saw recently on Puckett's Pond, The Athletic's Dan Hayes actually floated the possibility of bringing Devers to Minnesota. It's an interesting idea, at least until you look beyond the numbers.
It was well documented that Devers didn't exactly leave Boston on the best terms. When the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, Devers initially resisted moving off third base before eventually becoming their designated hitter. Then, when Triston Casas was injured, Devers publicly refused to move to first base. Granted, Boston's management had reportedly assured him that he would remain the DH. But when your team needs help, publicly refusing to step up doesn't look good. He eventually played first base after arriving in San Francisco, which made the disagreement even more frustrating in hindsight.
But the drama didn't end in Boston.
In June 2026, Giants manager Tony Vitello attempted to replace Devers with a pinch-runner during a close game against Miami. Devers visibly protested the decision, trying to wave off his replacement before returning to the dugout. He later apologized, explaining that he'd misunderstood the substitution, and Vitello accepted his explanation. Fair enough. But coming on the heels of his departure from Boston, the incident did little to ease concerns about how he handles decisions he doesn't like.
A superstar salary doesn't excuse a superstar ego. Baseball is a team sport, and even the biggest names have to answer to their managers. The Twins need players who will do what's best for the club, not turn routine decisions into public disagreements. And then there's that contract, the other elephant in the room.
Devers has approximately $211 million remaining on his deal through 2033, including deferred money. For an organization whose ownership has historically been reluctant to spend, that's an enormous commitment. Minnesota would also have to give San Francisco something in return, potentially sacrificing young talent. So the Twins would be taking on a massive contract, giving up assets, and taking a chance on a player who has already had public disagreements with management in two organizations. Is his bat worth all that? Not to me.
The Twins need more offense, but there are other ways to find it. They don't need to spend another $200 million and potentially invite problems into the clubhouse. It just isn't worth it.
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