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Carlos Santana
first base
Age: 37
Base salary: $5.25 million
An All-Star in 2019 for Cleveland, the free-agent signee has 301 home runs in 14 seasons, including 23 last year.
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Edouard Julien
second base
Age: 24
Base salary: $740,000
Made his big league debut and had an .840 OPS, mostly from the leadoff position, last season; finished seventh in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
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Royce Lewis
third base
Age: 24
Base salary: $745,700
Former No. 1 overall pick belted 15 home runs — including four grand slams — in 2023 and was darn near voted the team’s MVP.
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Carlos Correa
shortstop
Age: 29
Base salary: $32 million
Plantar fasciitis was to blame as the two-time All-Star hit a career low .230, but he had a wonderful postseason and has pronounced himself fully healed.
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Matt Wallner
left field
Age: 26
Base salary: $740,000
An impressive rookie season (14 homers in 76 games) with a .370 OBP for the Forest Lake native included showing off his outfield arm.
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Byron Buxton
center field
Age: 30
Base salary: $15 million
Surgery to clean out his right knee means he can play center again after only DHing in 2023; he’s played more than 100 games only once in nine seasons.
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Max Kepler
right field
Age: 31
Base salary: $10 million
After a first half last season where Kepler struggled and seemed likely to be traded, he turned it around mightily and hit .300 from July on.
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Ryan Jeffers
catcher
Age: 26
Base salary: $2.425 million
By the playoffs, he was the No. 1 catcher after a breakout season where had the highest WAR (3.3) on the team despite playing only 96 games.
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Alex Kirilloff
designated hitter
Age: 26
Base salary: $1.35 million
Injuries in his first three seasons have stalled his major league career; he had a .270/.348/.445 slash line last season in 88 games.
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Kyle Farmer
infield
Age: 33
Base salary: $6.05 million
Ultra-valuable reserve despite a horrific facial injury when hit by a pitch; Farmer split time between second (45 times), third (43) and short (40) in 120 games played last season.
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Christian Vázquez
catcher
Age: 33
Base salary: $10 million
Nine-year veteran’s batting average fell to .223 (career average is .257), but he vows to rebound and his defense is more vital in the new stolen base era.
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Willi Castro
Infield-Outfield
Age: 26
Base salary: $3.3 million
Maybe the team’s biggest surprise, he played infield and outfield well in his first season with the Twins, led the team with 33 steals and hit a respectable .257.
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Manuel Margot
outfield
Age: 29
Base salary: $10 million
Picked up in a spring training trade, Margot takes the spot of departed defensive specialist Michael A. Taylor; the Twins are paying only $4 million of his salary.
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Pablo López
righthander
Age: 28
Base salary: $8 million
Lived up to promise, got a long-term contract, made the All-Star team, had 234 strikeouts and was 2-0 in the postseason.
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Joe Ryan
righthander
Age: 27
Base salary: $740,000
The first half of the season was great for Ryan, but he struggled and was injured after the All-Star break and ended up giving up 32 home runs in 161 ⅔ innings.
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Bailey Ober
righthander
Age: 28
Base salary: $740,000
The 6-9 Ober earned a spot in this season’s rotation with promising work in 2023 — 26 starts, 3.43 ERA and more than a strikeout (146) per innings pitched (144 ⅓).
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Chris Paddack
righthander
Age: 28
Base salary: $2.525 million
Recovered from his second Tommy John surgery in time to pitch well in relief late in the season, setting the stage for a return to the rotation.
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Louie Varland
righthander
Age: 26
Base salary: $740,000
Had 10 starts and seven relief appearances on the shuttle from St. Paul; he’ll get a chance in the rotation after Anthony DeSclafani’s injury.
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Griffin Jax
righthander
Age: 29
Base salary: $740,000
With Jhoan Duran sidelined, Jax is a candidate to close after a season where his stats were respectable, but he ended up with 10 losses in relief.
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Jorge Alcala
righthander
Age: 28
Base salary: $790,000
Elbow surgery wiped out his 2022 season, and a forearm fracture scotched 2023; full of promise if he stays healthy.
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Brock Stewart
righthander
Age: 32
Base salary: $740,000
An amazing find, Stewart gave up only two runs in 28 appearances, missing three months because of an elbow injury.
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Jay Jackson
righthander
Age: 36
Base salary: $1.3 million
Free-agent signee after posting a 2.12 ERA in 25 appearances for the Blue Jays, but he wasn’t on their postseason roster.
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Steven Okert
lefthander
Age: 32
Base salary: $1.0265 million
Picked up from Miami for Nick Gordon, Okert had a 4.45 ERA in 58⅔ innings for the Marlins with 73 strikeouts.
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Kody Funderburk
lefthander
Age: 27
Base salary: $740,000
Went from Class AA to AAA to Target Field without a hiccup — one run allowed and 19 strikeouts in 12 late-season innings with Twins.
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Cole Sands
righthander
Age: 26
Base salary: $740,000
Started last season in the big leagues, but was up and down at St. Paul — where he was mostly brilliant — four times.
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Daniel Duarte
righthander
Age: 27
Base salary: $740,000
After stint in Mexican League, pitched for the Reds last season. Twins claimed him off waivers, then DFA’d him, so he was in camp on a minor league deal.
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Jhoan Duran
reliever
Age: 26
Base salary: $747,200
Converted 27 of 32 save opportunities and threw 104 mph, but a spring training oblique injury means he’ll be out at season’s start.
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Caleb Thielbar
reliever
Age: 37
Base salary: $3.225 million
An oblique strain limited him to 30 innings last season, and he’ll start this one on the IL because of a sore hamstring.
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Anthony DeSclafani
starter
Age: 33
Base salary: $12 million
DeSclafani was supposed to be the fifth starter before elbow issues sidelined him. The Twins are paying $4 million of his salary.
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Josh Staumont
reliever
Age: 30
Base salary: $950,000
Free-agent signee who had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome last summer; he is sidelined because of a knee injury.
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Justin Topa
reliever
Age: 33
Base salary: $1.25 million
Acquired from Seattle in the Jorge Polanco deal, he had his best major league season with a 2.61 ERA in 69 innings last year. Has left knee tendinitis.