Skip to content 
This story is from Matthew Leach’s Beat newsletter. Click here to read the full newsletter. And subscribe to get regular access to your inbox.
At the annual General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Twins GM Jeremy Zoll participated in a public availability session with reporters from both Minnesota and around baseball. I wasn’t present, but my friend and teammate AJ Cassavell was covering me and providing the audio of the session.
There are several transcripts of Zoll’s conversation with reporters.
Where the twins are with Ryan Jeffers
There was some thought that Jeffers was probably gone once he hit the open market. I still think he’s more likely to go elsewhere than stay in Minnesota for a variety of reasons. But Zoll didn’t sound resigned to Jeffers wearing a different uniform next year.
“Ryan has earned the right to explore free agency,” Zoll said. “We want to make sure he has an opportunity to understand what’s going on in the market because he’s earned that right. We’ve been in contact with his team and we’ve had some initial discussions there. I think it’s going to look like it’s going to happen after that. … We’re engaged and definitely have a genuine interest in reuniting and we just have to continue to work through that process.”
Given the presence of Vahn Lackey (Twins #2, MLB 18th overall), it seems unlikely the Twins will go with Jeffers for more than three years, but perhaps there is a time frame and dollar figure that will work for both sides.
Aggravation of crime
The Gemini offense, overall, has been pretty impressive in 2026. Minnesota was tied with the Yankees for the second-most runs (739) in the American League. However, it has not always been consistent and a strike bat is needed in the middle of the order. That need becomes especially acute if Jeffers leaves. Of course, there are some young players in the 27 who could be bigger contributors, but Zoll admitted that even if that happens, adding some punch to the lineup would be a good idea. No Twin hit 30 homers in ’26.
“I think between Ryan and Josh Bell being a free agent, it’s a real loss for our offense,” Zoll said. “We also have a number of young players that we think will take real steps forward to fill a good portion of that. But we want to find a way to continue to round out the offense and put the group of position players in the strongest position we can.”
Position of Royce Lewis
I thought this was particularly interesting. Zoll left the possibility that Lewis’ primary position is second base very open. The thought is that Kody Clemens could move to first in such a scenario, but it also seems possible that Clemens could be a super utility player, allowing the Twins to add a hitting bat at first base.
“It was a little difficult to do the right side of the field quickly in St. Paul for a very short time before trying to do it at the Major League level last year,” Zoll said. “If [Lewis] gets more time at second base, which is probably a spot that could really suit him in the mid-term. However, it was difficult to fully achieve there quickly. “His athleticism allows all of these opportunities to present themselves in such a way that the best fit for the team is probably the right answer.”
Prielipp will be pushed further
For obvious and understandable reasons, the Twins have been extremely cautious with left-handed rookie Connor Prielipp this year. Prielipp’s extensive injury history and extremely limited professional experience have led the club to look for every opportunity to give him extra rest and keep his trips short. While the plan isn’t to turn Prielipp into a 200-inning worker next year, Zoll said he’ll be treated less leniently.
“I feel like we’re closer to looking at it as a traditional starter than we were last year,” Zoll said. “It still feels like someone is baking bread on extra days [of rest] will be valuable. … We were trying to get him everything we could, but we knew every extra inning he threw this year would set us up for a better base for next year, and we were trying to keep that balance to achieve that.”