3 Minnesota Twins Position Battles to Watch at Spring Training

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Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins have officially kicked off Spring Training action in Fort Myers, FL. Rocco Baldelli’s squad enters the 2025 regular season as favorites to win the AL Central division. They are projected to finish five games above division rival Cleveland Guardians.

This offseason wasn’t exactly the busiest one for the Twins, but they did make a plethora of moves. Harrison Bader is taking over a roster spot as an additional outfielder for Manuel Margot, who is now in Spring Training with the Milwaukee Brewers. Ty France is replacing Carlos Santana at first base, who signed a nice deal to return to aforementioned Cleveland. And, Danny Coulombe returns as the bullpen lefty, as Caleb Thielbar left for Wrigley Field to play for the Chicago Cubs.

The Twins have plenty of returning talent, so there aren’t a ton of roster spots up for competition. However, there are still a couple that should be your focus during Spring Training action.

Who is the Minnesota Twins fifth starting pitcher?

Rocco Baldelli already has three starting pitches written in ink. To no surprise, Pablo Lopez is the Opening Day starter, who held a 4.08 ERA last season. Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are locks to join him as key members of the rotation, as they held 3.60 and 3.98 ERA’s respectively. From there, things get a bit more interesting.

Chris Paddack was a main candidate to draw trade interest this offseason, while the Twins were supposedly shedding more cap. A deal surely would have opened salary flexibility for the Minnesota Twins. However, he is still on the roster, and will work as the fourth starter if he can maintain the spot. Paddack is another year removed from his second Tommy John surgery, so the bar for him to provide a level of value is not very high.

Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins
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That leaves just the fifth spot in the rotation, and right now, Simeon Woods Richardson is the frontrunner to grab it. Last season, Woods Richardson started 28 games as a rookie in the Bigs. He posted a 4.17 ERA and struck out 117 batters across 133 2/3 innings. That sort of production is just fine from a back-end starter, especially when one would expect him to continue improving as he gets more experience.

It’s worth wondering what Woods Richardson’s ceiling looks like, though. His velocity took a jump last year as he averaged 93.1 mph on his fastball, up from around 91 the year prior. That made a huge difference, as his arsenal played better and ultimately helped him get more batters out. That still is on the low-end of what top big league arms are providing, however, so how SWR’s velocity plays this year will be something to watch.

Related: 2025 Minnesota Twins Opening Day Roster Projection (1.0)

Minnesota has nice starting pitcher depth in the form of David Festa and Zebby Matthews. Both made their major league debuts in 2024, with varying results. Festa is highlighted as a breakout candidate to keep an eye on in 2025. It’s an uphill battle to think he could surpass Woods Richardson out of the gate, but he is the one to watch. Matthews had his toes dipped in the MLB water, and owned a 6.69 ERA over 37.2 innings pitched. During his minors time last year, Matthews owned a much better 2.60 ERA across 97 innings pitched.

Across 64 1/3 innings Festa owned a modest 4.90 ERA. After two tough outings and a recall, Festa then returned for 54 1/3 stellar innings with a 3.81 ERA, 3.15 FIP, and 69 strikeouts. That’s more along the lines of what the Minnesota Twins believe they have in the former top prospect.

It’s most likely that Festa (and Matthews) begin in St. Paul, with a rotation that all could impact the big league team if and when they are called upon. That would mean Woods-Richardson is Minnesota’s 5th starting pitcher. If the Minnesota Twins do pull a surprising move in the rotation, though, a strong spring would be what makes it happen.

MN Twins could make changes to the bullpen

The Minnesota Twins are projected to have one of baseball’s best bullpens, as they did last year. The high-leverage combination of Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax are plenty to get excited about, as they are projected to have ERA’s of 2.36 and 3.21, each. Coulombe and Cole Sands will get back-end innings as well, and there are other familiar names in the Twins bullpen.

Of the eight expected spots in relief, the only other that should be guaranteed goes to Justin Topa. That leaves Jorge Alcala and Michael Tonkin as the fringe candidates. The former was optioned multiple times last season and had an up-and-down year. The latter was designated for assignment but was brought back and got a $1 million deal for 2025.

There are a few arms behind that main pairing that could also push for consideration. The Minnesota Twins took Eiberson Castellano in the Rule 5 Draft this year. That means he must remain on the big league roster for the entirety of the season, or be offered back to the Phillies. The worry with that? He hasn’t pitched above Double-A, but he has 291 strikeouts in 238 minor league innings. Named the Philadelphia minor league pitcher of the year last season, Castellano had a 3.99 ERA across 103 2/3 innings at High-A and Double-A. The Twins are obviously hoping that success continues at the MLB level.

Related: Time for Twins Pitching Prospect to Sink or Swim

Louis Varland will work as a reliever this season, if the starting rotation arms get through Spring Training healthy. We have seen his high-octane stuff play well out of the bullpen, and he touched 98 mph during his first Grapefruit League outing. He posted an 11/2 K/BB and 2.35 in his final five relief appearances last season, leaving plenty to be excited for.

The Minnesota Twins could also consider a second lefty if Kody Funderburk bounces back strong. He had a stellar debut in 2023 with a 0.75 ERA across 12 innings, but was knocked around last season. Don’t expect Matt Canterino to make the Opening Day roster, but his health should have him at Triple-A, and performance would make him an early option for the Twins.

Can someone shuffle Minnesota’s bench?

Almost all of the starting position roles in the lineup are accounted for. First base may have been a question mark up until a few weeks ago, but the addition of Ty France changed that. Second base is a spot the MN Twins would love to see Brooks Lee play, but he’ll need to earn it, as they nave other options if he isn’t performing up to standards.

Willi Castro is going to be on the roster, and will start plenty of games. Christian Vazquez is also going to make the roster, but he may cede a bit more playing time to Ryan Jeffers than last year. A final bench spot comes down to what sort of plan Baldelli is more comfortable with.

Brooks Lee needs to play every day, so if he’s not starting at second base with the big league club, then he should be with St. Paul getting at-bats. Austin Martin could be carried as an additional outfielder, but may be seen as sort of redundant with Harrison Bader in front of him.

Related: Brooks Lee May Not Join Twins on Opening Day

The most logical option right now could be to go with Edouard Julien. He had a great rookie season, and hit .263/.381/.459 in 2023 before turning in a putrid .199/.292/.323 slash line last season, which earned him a demotion. He does not need to play every day, but he would at least give Baldelli another second base option off the bench.

Edouard Julien, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

Veteran journeyman Mike Ford may have been a first base option as a non-roster invitee before Ty France showed up, but no longer. Luke Keaschall remains the most high-ceiling non-roster guy in camp, but he’ll be to Triple-A first.

There won’t be too much of a focus put on spring training numbers as a whole, but some of the fringe position players could really help themselves. By getting hot and riding that into the regular season, you never know who you might see come Opening Day.

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