4 Minnesota Twins free agents who won't be back in 2025 if they miss the playoffs

Just weeks ago, it looked like the Minnesota Twins had as good of a chance as anybody in the AL Central to win the division. The Cleveland Guardians were faltering, the Kansas City Royals had been up and down all season long, and the Twins were right there.

Not only are their chances of winning the division out of the window, but their season is teetering on the brink of disaster with how they've been playing lately. The Twins just lost another heartbreaker on Thursday, giving them 11 losses in their last 16 games. At 80-73, they're now tied with the red-hot Detroit Tigers for the third and final Wild Card spot in the AL.

They do still control their own destiny as they won the season series against the Tigers, but with how they've been playing, it's time to push the panic button if Twins fans haven't already. Based on how they've been playing lately, their chances of making the playoffs get slimmer each day.

If the Twins miss out on the postseason, major changes must be made this upcoming offseason. Those changes include resisting the urge to bring back some of their soon-to-be free agents.

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4) Anthony DeSclafani never got the chance to show the Twins what he can do

The Twins lost several key players last offseason, one of which was Sonny Gray, the ace of their staff. With the Twins hamstrung financially, the team opted to stay away from expensive free agents like Gray and instead turned to the trade market, acquiring Anthony DeSclafani in a deal that sent Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners.

DeSclafani was not brought in to be an ace, but the Twins did have Pablo Lopez who seemed poised to take over Gray's spot and were comfortable plugging the veteran DeSclafani into the back of their rotation. Unfortunately, that never happened.

The 34-year-old suffered a season-ending arm injury before Opening Day, robbing him of a chance to contribute to this Twins team. Minnesota hasn't really been hurt too much by losing DeSclafani thanks to Simeon Woods-Richardson's emergence, but quality starting pitching depth is always a luxury to have.

DeSclafani is far from a young pitcher, has had durability concerns throughout his career, wasn't great in 2023, and again, didn't throw a pitch for the Twins. With all of that in mind, it's hard to envision the Twins being so interested in bringing him back.

3) Manuel Margot has underperformed in his lone season in Minnesota

The Polanco trade was the big one that Minnesota made over the offseason, but they did make another important deal, acquiring Manuel Margot in a swap with the Los Angeles Dodgers. For a Twins team with a good amount of left-handed hitters, acquiring the right-handed hitting Margot who had been solid throughout his career against left-handed pitching made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out.

Margot has been mostly used in the short side of a platoon in the outfield and has slashed .241/.293/.339 with four home runs and 30 RBI overall. His .729 OPS against lefties isn't bad, but doesn't quite measure up to his .756 career mark.

Margot has a mutual option worth $12 million that the Twins will almost certainly decline. Chances are, they can find a better option to mash against lefties for cheaper. Margot might come back at a smaller number than the $12 million, but at this point, it feels more likely that the Twins will look at other options first.

2) Caleb Thielbar has not been the trustworthy reliever Twins fans had become accustomed to

Caleb Thielbar was a key member of the Twins bullpen from 2020-2023 in his second stint in Minnesota, but 2024 has not been kind to the southpaw.

The 37-year-old has a 5.65 ERA in 53 appearances and 43 innings of work, nearly walking more batters this season (21) than his combined total in the two seasons prior (24). He's still Minnesota's primary left-handed reliever, but that's mostly because there's no other real option. He's fared pretty well against left-handed hitters, but righties have hit him hard to the tune of a .873 OPS. With the three-batter rule in effect, it's hard to trust Thielbar to get through a clean inning if he has to face a right-handed hitter.

He had some really good years in Minnesota, but at 37 years old, it's hard to envision things getting much better. Perhaps they can bring him back as a potential second lefty in the bullpen, but they'd be better off finding a southpaw to trust elsewhere.

1) Max Kepler's lengthy Twins tenure is nearing its end

Max Kepler has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors, all of which have come with the Twins. He's had some really good years in Minnesota including a 36-home run campaign back in 2019, but 2024 has been a lost season for him.

The 31-year-old has slashed .253/.302/.380 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 105 games this season. Injuries have often been an issue with Kepler, but in years past he had been a solid power hitter for the Twins. That has not been the case this season, as evidenced by his eight home runs in 399 plate appearances.

Kepler had also always drawn a ton of walks in years past, exhibiting a great eye and patient approach at the plate. That also seemingly vanished in 2024, as his 5.5 percent walk rate is a career-low by far.

The Twins are set in the outfield with Willi Castro, Byron Buxton, and Matt Walner. They could put Kepler at first base, but they can probably find an upgrade in free agency at that spot. They could also put Kepler at DH, but Trevor Larnach is locked in there against right-handed pitching.

It feels like there is no place to put Kepler, and with him having a down year in 2024, it'll be easier to let him go. It'd stink to watch him in another uniform, but that feels more than likely at this point.