Minnesota

Twins

The ping pong balls came through for the Nationals as they secure the top selection in next year’s MLB Draft after having just 10 percent odds of landing the first overall pick. Washington hasn’t picked first overall since taking Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) in consecutive seasons. Oklahoma prep shortstop Ethan Holliday — son of former Rockies star Matt Holliday and brother of Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday — and Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette are among the top candidates for the first-overall selection next year. The biggest movers were the Mariners, who went from the second-lowest odds at less than one percent, jumping all the way to the third pick. The Marlins, who came into the lottery tied with the Rockies for the best odds to secure the first pick, fell all the way to seventh. Here are the complete lottery results: (1) Nationals, (2) Angels, (3) Mariners, (4) Rockies, (5) Cardinals, (6) Pirates, (7) Marlins, (8) Blue Jays, (9) Reds, (10) White Sox, (11) Athletics, (12) Rangers, (13) Giants, (14) Rays, (15) Red Sox, (16) Twins, (17) Cubs, (18) Diamondbacks.

Nightengale doesn’t indicate that there’s any sign of a potential deal, but it’s still an interesting idea for a club that reportedly needs to trim payroll. Correa is owed over $120 million over the next four seasons, and while he’s been a productive player when healthy, he’s been limited to 221 games over the last two years because of injuries. Because of his skill set, Correa would certainly see interest on the trade market, but his contract and durability may make the return lighter than the Twins would be hoping for.

Ynoa represents a fascinating low-risk gamble for Minnesota as extra organizational depth after being non-tendered last month by the Braves. The 26-year-old righty hasn’t appeared in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery back in 2022 and the strikeouts simply weren’t there in the minors last year upon returning to the mound. He’s the definition of a reclamation project for the Twins heading into 2025.

Cerda spent last year in the Reds and Giants organizations, batting .189/.289/.434 with seven homers and one steal across 121 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A. The 25-year-old outfielder was a notable prospect for the Reds a couple years ago, but has pretty much fallen off the map completely.

The 26-year-old hurler bounced around a lot during the 2024 season, seeing action with four different organizations (Athletics, Astros, Red Sox and White Sox) at the Triple-A level. He also made one appearance with the Astros, allowing one run and striking out a pair of batters in his two innings of work. He has a very live arm — with a fastball that has touched 101 mph — and makes for a nice depth addition for the Twins’ bullpen.

The Twins tendered contracts to Royce Lewis, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Ryan Jeffers, Trevor Larnach and Willi Castro. They also reached agreements on Friday with right-handers Brock Stewart, Michael Tonkin and Justin Topa. There hadn’t been any rumblings that the Twins were considering non-tendering any of the players from this group, but now it’s official that they have all been tendered contracts for the 2025 season.

Topa had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $1.3 million via the arbitration process, so this seems fair for both sides. Topa, who came from the Mariners in the Jorge Polanco deal, wound up pitching just 2 1/3 innings for the Twins in 2024 due to a knee injury that cost him all but the final week of the regular season. He should play a major role in the Twins’ bullpen in 2025.

Tonkin, 35, was projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $1.5 million via the arbitration process, so it looks like the team may have gotten a slight discount on this one. The right-hander appeared in 57 contests between the Twins, Yankees and Mets in 2024, registering a 3.63 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and an 85/30 K/BB ratio over 79 1/3 innings while notching a pair of saves. Expect him to work in a middle relief role once again for the Twins in 2025.

The 33-year-old hurler also has the potential to earn an additional $30,000 in incentives. Stewart appeared in just 16 games for the Twins before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in August, ultimately compiling a 5.17 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and a 208/8 K/BB ratio over 15 2/3 innings. He’s expected to be fully recovered and ready to rock for the start of spring training.

Severino returns to Minnesota just a few weeks after being removed from the club’s 40-man roster. The 25-year-old first baseman has yet to make his big-league debut, but has showed some decent pop in the minors, with 21 round-trippers in 128 contests last year for Triple-A St. Paul.