Minnesota

Twins

Gonzalez is tied with Hernán Pérez for the home run lead in Venezuela and is first with 22 RBI. Only David Peralta has a better OPS. His success might increase the chances that the Twins move on from Royce Lewis this winter. Gonzalez is a natural outfielder, but he was introduced to first base last season and could fit there with Minnesota’s outfield looking quite crowded.

Orze heads to Chicago after losing his spot with Minnesota at the start of the offseason. The 29-year-old middle reliever struggled to an underwhelming 5.66 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 36/21 K/BB ratio across 41 1/3 innings this past season.

Jeffers will probably try to cash in with a long-term deal on the open market, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him take the short-term payday and return for one final season in Minnesota. The 29-year-old backstop slashed a respectable .256/.353/.461 with 49 runs scored, 14 homers, 56 RBI and one steal in 368 plate appearances this past season. He’s a borderline mixed-league option for fantasy purposes at this stage of his career.

The Mets continue pilfering Minnesota’s system for additional pitching depth with Anderson becoming their latest import. The 26-year-old offers some versatility as a multi-inning reliever, posting a respectable 2.19 ERA across 12 1/3 innings between the Twins and Red Sox this past season.

The option was just something Ryan and the Twins did in January in order to avoid arbitration; Ryan gets a $100,000 buyout on top of his $6.1 million salary from last season, and now he’ll be arbitration eligible again. Coming off a season in which he had a 3.79 ERA in 27 starts, he’s probably looking at a raise to $9 million-$10 million in his final season before free agency.

All are expected to become free agents. Banda had a 4.46 ERA in 39 relief appearances during the first three months of the season before undergoing season-ending surgery for a torn lat.

Gonzalez is thriving in Venezuela, having hit .379/.471/.690 with four homers and 16 RBI in 14 games. That Luke Keaschall couldn’t cut it at second base and had to be moved to the outfield is a problem for Gonzalez and fellow prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez as they try to force their way into Minnesota’s lineup. The team’s ideal outfield going forward most likely involves Byron Buxton, Walker Jenkins and Keaschall, though Buxton might be looking at more time at DH. Gonzalez has been playing some first base to open up another possible path to the majors.

He also had a bone chip removed. Hoffman missed the final weekend of the season, going on the IL with forearm inflammation. It was his first absence of any sort since 2022. He’s expected to resume throwing in eight weeks and should have a normal spring training, if there happens to be a normal spring training. Barring an expensive signing, he seems like the current favorite to close for the Twins next year.

The 30-year-old hurler underwent Tommy John surgery in late February. He has been throwing since late August and should be able to go through a familiar offseason routine. Some inconsistency is always to be expected when pitchers return from the procedure, but Lopez could represent a nice value in early fantasy drafts.

He’s 9-for-22 with three homers and four doubles in seven games. The 20-year-old switch-hitting outfielder hit .232/.312/.414 with 16 homers and 24 RBI in a 2026 season spent mostly in Low-A ball. He’ll likely open next year in High-A for Cedar Rapids.