Forecasting the Twins' lineup and starting pitchers in 2026, 2027

Do the Twins have all the right pieces, as executive chair Joe Pohlad said recently?

“I’m trying to get my head out of all the negativity,” Pohlad told the Minnesota Star Tribune as the 2025 Twins' season came to an end, with the team firing manager Rocco Baldelli 24 hours after the final game. “But I am overwhelmingly confident about Twins baseball. I’m confident because we have got all the right [pieces] … And we have the resources that we’re ready to invest when needed."

Nobody believes the Twins, even with two new minority partners who reportedly helped wipe away around $500 million in debts, will spend in free agency. That's why the Twins traded 10 key players before the July 31 trade deadline, stockpiling prospects to go to battle in 2026 with a roster built on potential.

What will the 2026, 2027 offensive lineups look like?

Take a look below at our projection, which peers into the future as 2027 could be the year that sees a a large group of prospects enter the fray as full-time players.

Next year, it's highly likely that top prospect Walker Jenkins starts the season at Triple-A St. Paul. He could play his way to the big leagues in 2026, but 2027 is most likely going to be his first full season with the Twins. The same goes for outfield prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez, along with shortstop Kaelen Culpepper.

MLP Pipeline ranks Jenkins, Rodriguez, Culpepper, and Gonzalez as the first, third, fourth, and eighth-best prospects in the organization.

Jefferson will be a free agent after the 2026 season, making him an ideal trade candidate next summer. That could pave the path for Oliver, who reached Double-A this season and batted .264 with 13 homers in 93 games.

If the prospects turn into quality MLB players, the Twins could have something special brewing for 2027 and beyond — especially if Buxton and Lewis can stay healthy.

Twins starting pitchers in 2026, 2027

If the Twins trade Lopez or Ryan this winter, the pitching picture in 2026 will be clearer. But if both are back in 2026, then it leaves three spots in the rotation up for grabs between Ober, Abel, Bradley, Zebby Matthews, Simeon Woods Richardson, and David Festa.

All of them have flashed an ability to be good starting pitchers in the big leagues, but none of the six guys battling for three spots has been consistent.

In 2027, Connor Prielipp, who was named Minnesota's 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, should be in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation. Lopez will be in the final year of his contract, and Ryan and Ober will be arbitration eligible for the final time, but there's no way Ryan will be with the Twins if he's not signed to an extension by then. The same might be true for Ober.

It wouldn't be shocking if Lopez, Ryan, and Ober are elsewhere in 2027, which would open the door for a youth movement on the mound featuring some combination of Abel, Bradley, Prielipp, Matthews, Festa, and prospects like Kendry Rojas, Dasan Hill,, Riley Quick, C.J. Culpepper, Marco Raya, Ryan Gallagher, Andrew Morris, and Charlee Soto.

Rojas (No. 5), Hill (No. 7), Prielipp (No. 9), and Quick (No. 10) are all top-10 prospects for the Twins, per MLB Pipeline's rankings.

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