The Minnesota Twins’ off-season is moving slowly but surely, and fans have been treated to some better news lately. On Monday, President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey and General Manager Jeremy Zoll shared with reporters at the Winter Meetings that they no longer intend to trade their big three stars: Byron Buxton, Pablo López, and Joe Ryan.

With their stars off the trade market, the Twins intend to spend a little more than previously stated.

They now hope to sign a mid-tier first baseman along with two relievers with more high-leverage experience.

However, before they can do all that, the Twins need to make some moves to clear up some roster space.

The first of these moves was granting outfielder Carson McCusker his release for an opportunity to play overseas in Asia, making one spot available on the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft

Minnesota also made a selection in the Rule 5 Draft, taking catcher Daniel Susac from the Athletics organization. What happened next was a surprise. The Twins immediately flipped Susac to the San Francisco Giants for another catcher, Miguel Caraballo, a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League, and cash.

The route the Twins decided during the Rule 5 was a bit peculiar. Many anticipated they would select one of the available pitchers not protected on other teams’ 40-man rosters. More surprising was the immediate trade of an MLB-ready backup catcher for one who had just played his first season in professional baseball.

To be fair, if the Twins had kept Susac, his role for playing time would not have been too different from Alex Jackson’s, whom they just acquired. The two of them would split the duty of backup catchers, playing a third of the time while Ryan Jeffers plays the other two-thirds.

By acquiring one catcher to flip him immediately for another, much younger one, the Twins still have some desire to bolster their catching depth in the lower levels of the minors, as they did during the trade deadline.

Between Caraballo and Enrique Jimenez, whom Minnesota acquired in the Chris Paddack-Randy Dobnak deal with the Detroit Tigers, the Twins are taking a bet on one of them being a potential backup with Eduardo Tait, their top catching prospect. Regardless of who backs up Tait, he’s likely to play 60% of the games.

Caraballo demonstrated strong strikeout and walk rates in his first season in pro ball. He drew 28 walks and struck out 38 times over 169 plate appearances, good for a 16.6% walk rate and 22.5% strikeout rate. The strikeout rate is still a little higher than most teams would like at most levels, but for any player in the DSL or Complex Leagues, it’s not as alarming compared to those with strikeout rates of 25% or higher.

The walk rate helped Caraballo boost his on-base percentage to an impressive .432 mark, with five home runs, 22 RBI, and eight stolen bases over 41 games. Caraballo demonstrated impressive enough numbers that the Twins are willing to take a chance on a 17-year-old kid whose odds of making the majors are still a long shot.

On the minor-league side of the Rule 5 Draft, the Twins acquired two players while two of their pitchers were claimed by other teams. They claimed rightfielder Garrett Spain from the Milwaukee Brewers farm system and right-handed pitcher Sam Ryan from the Los Angeles Angels. The Twins lost right-handed pitcher John Stankiewicz to the Detroit Tigers, and left-handed pitcher Savage, Minn. native, and Burnsville High School graduate, Aaron Rozek, to the New York Mets.

After trading Susac to the Giants, the 40-man roster spot that the Twins had previously opened up by parting ways with McCusker remains open. Where the Twins go next with their off-season plans is a bit unclear.

Over the previous two off-seasons, the Twins have waited out the free-agent market until a few weeks before pitchers and catchers report for spring training before making any signings or trades. In 2024, they didn’t make their first big move of the off-season until Jan. 29, when they traded Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners. This past year, they didn’t sign Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe to 1-year deals until Feb. 7.

In light of recent news that the Twins are willing to spend more than previously anticipated this off-season, they probably won’t make any big moves or signings before the New Year. The Twins are expected to announce their new limited partners in ownership before the calendar flips to 2026, and that might be the only big news from the organization ahead of the New Year

But that won’t stop the Twins front office from pursuing their ideal candidates in either trade or free agency. After the Baltimore Orioles signed Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal, the first base market may shake out quicker than most for the rest of the offseason.