When you think of the Minnesota Twins, you likely think of left-handed hitting outfielders. Besides Byron Buxton, most of Minnesota's players who can play outfield hit left-handed; Matt Wallner, Alan Roden, James Outman, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Trevor Larnach all bat from the left side. Although Keirsey likely won't be on the 26-man roster much, and Larnach may be non-tendered, the Twins have two highly regarded left-handed hitting outfield prospects in Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, both of whom will likely make their MLB debuts next season.
With that in mind, the Twins should attempt to acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder who hits lefties at a high level.
Twins should try to steal Red Sox free agent Rob Refsnyder
Refsnyder, who played left and right field last year, is known as a lefty killer, as the right-handed hitter has hit .302/.396/.554 for a 160 wRC+ against lefties over the past two seasons. He isn't nearly as productive against righties, having slashed .250/.310/.387 for a 94 wRC+ against righties over the past two years. Overall, Refsnyder, 34, has posted a .278/.357/.476 slash line in 163 games from 2024-25. If Minnesota signs Refsnyder, he should be exclusively used to start against lefties and pinch hit.
The issue with this idea is that Refsnyder likely will receive plenty of interest around the league, and the Twins most likely won't be his team of choice. Therefore, Minnesota may need to offer the outfielder more money than other teams to convince him to become a Twin. While that may be the case, it's not like the Twins would have to pay him too much, just a bit more than other teams. If Minnesota ends up hiring Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vázquez to be its next manager, Refsnyder will likely be more enticed to sign with the Twins.
If the Twins sign Refsynder, it won't be the first time the outfielder suits up for the home team at Target Field. In 2021, Refsnyder played in 51 games for Minnesota and hit .245/.325/.338 for an 88 wRC+ with two homers and 12 RBIs in 157 plate appearances. He began his MLB career in 2015 with the New York Yankees, and has also played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.