As the Minnesota Twins look ahead to the 2027 season, the rosters of the 2026 American League playoff teams offer several options to consider this offseason. With teams evaluating their own rosters and making changes for the year ahead, Minnesota could look to capitalize on opportunities to add experienced players who would fill specific needs. From bolstering the bullpen to shoring up position-player depth, these six players stand out as targets the Twins could pursue from this year’s American League postseason field.
A true platoon bat, Grichuk could help the Twins as an upgrade over unsatisfying righty corner outfield options Austin Martin and Gabriel Gonzalez. The 35-year-old has a career .839 OPS versus left-handed pitching, and was even better in 2026, slashing .327/.371/.655 with 11 home runs in 178 plate appearances. Grichuk would not be a big-name addition, but he could provide valuable at-bats for a 2027 outfield corps comprised of left-handed batters Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, and Alan Roden, with Kody Clemens also in the mix.
While Kiner-Falefa doesn’t provide much offensive value with a career 81 OPS+, the 31-year-old plays good defense. He was worth 8 Outs Above Average in 2026, and he doesn’t strike out much at the plate—just 14.8% of the time this season. While a career-high walk rate (10.4%) may not stick moving forward, Kiner-Falefa is a fine defender and would be a good emergency fill-in for Kaelen Culpepper in 2027.
Bednar turned it around after a disastrous 2024 season put his future in jeopardy. Since a mid-2025 trade to the Yankees, he has a 2.39 ERA with 111 punchouts and just 28 walks over 94 innings. He boasts a 1.01 WHIP and a 2.61 FIP. His struggles from 2024 seemingly behind him, Bednar throws plenty hard (96.1 MPH on the fastball), while inducing a ton of chases and weak contact. He’s as reliable a ninth inning as you’ll find and has a relationship with Derek Shelton already, having spent 2021 through 2025 in Pittsburgh under Shelton.
Relievers Bryan Abreu and Steven Okert have been connected to the Twins often as fans look toward the offseason, but De Los Santos would be a much cheaper option than those two. While his 4.79 ERA does not look good, his FIP (4.11) and xERA (3.42) look significantly better. The 30-year-old has bounced around, as Minnesota would be his ninth team in MLB, but he could be a solid option. He limits both walks and barrels much better than an average hurler.
Griffin came back from Asia to little fanfare, but he put together one of the best seasons among impending free-agent starters. He doesn’t throw the ball particularly hard, topping out in the low 90s. His primary pitch is his cutter, which he throws about a third of the time, and he mixes in a sweeper, four-seamer, changeup, and sinker to keep batters uncomfortable. The 31-year-old commands the ball well, which helps him limit hard contact. He did considerably worse after a trade from the cellar-dwelling Nationals to the pitching-savvy Guardians, but that may have been a product of bad luck. His FIP while with the Nationals was 4.10 to his 3.06 ERA, while in Cleveland, it dropped to 3.54, against a 5.19 ERA.
The Twins could look to pounce, as the rotation behind Joe Ryan, Pablo López, and Taj Bradley has major question marks, but starting pitching is expensive, and another domino would have to fall. Still, Griffin would be a welcome addition to the staff, giving Minnesota a reliable innings-eater who could stabilize the back of the rotation.
The cheapest option on the list, Mateo has been a poor offensive player over his entire MLB career, slashing .219/.264/.356 for a 74 OPS+. However, he does provide defensive versatility and speed. He has 125 career stolen bases, something the Twins could use: they ranked 20th in stolen bases this season. Like Kiner-Falefa, Mateo could give Minnesota a veteran option to provide shortstop depth behind Culpepper while offering flexibility across multiple positions.
None of these players qualify as franchise-altering acquisitions, but each could address a need for the Twins heading into 2027. Minnesota has several avenues to add a platoon bat, improve the bullpen, or provide speed off the bench, and exploring the rosters of the teams that outperformed them in 2026 could be a good place to start the offseason. The Twins should be competing in the American League Central in 2027, so they ought to at least take note of the players their top rivals are set to lose.