Minnesota's general manager was asked if his best young players could be traded this winter, and his answer says a lot about how the team plans to build for 2027.
Every winter seems to start with the same question for the Minnesota Twins, which is whether the front office will trade away some of its best young players.
General manager Jeremy Zoll got that question at the team's year-end news conference on Tuesday, and his answer should make fans feel good about where the club is headed.
What Zoll Said on Tuesday
The session came two days after a 6-4 win over Texas closed out a 77-85 season, which left Minnesota third in the AL Central.
Zoll was joined by manager Derek Shelton and chairman Tom Pohlad, and while Pohlad's plan to raise payroll drew most of the attention, Zoll was also asked if any player on the roster is off limits in trade talks.
He would not call anyone untouchable, but he did not leave much doubt about the young core.
According to the team's own recap of the session, Zoll stopped short of putting that label on rookie center fielder Walker Jenkins and rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper while still pushing back on the idea of moving them.
"We're going to be open-minded," he said, "but all these young players that we're so excited about, it's hard to imagine them being part of trade conversations because they're going to help us in '27 and they're going to help us for '28 and beyond."
Where Jenkins and Culpepper Stand
Jenkins is 21 years old, and the Twins selected his contract on Aug. 28.
He hit .226 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and a .686 OPS in 26 games, and he went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Sunday's finale.
There was plenty of worry about whether Minnesota would wait too long to call him up, so giving him those at-bats was a good sign.
Jenkins does have one thing to handle first, as Zoll said the team expects him to be a full go for 2027 after surgery on his right elbow to clean up bone chips and a bone spur.
Culpepper came up on Aug. 7 and hit .274 with three home runs, 11 RBIs and a .721 OPS in 33 games, even with a stint on the injured list for a left hamstring strain in September.
Why Keeping Them Is the Right Call
Zoll is right to hold on to these two, because a team that wants to win in 2027 and 2028 needs good young players who are getting better, and trading them for a short-term fix would undo a lot of work.
Left-hander Connor Prielipp shows why that patience can pay off, since he grew a lot on the mound this year and finished with 128 strikeouts in 125.2 innings across 24 games.
Zoll also shared a few health updates.
Pitcher Jeff Hoffman, who had a right forearm issue late in the year, should be fine after rest, while pitcher Zebby Matthews will get a second opinion on a right forearm strain.
The Twins still have a lot of work to do this winter, with a new pitching coach to hire.
Zoll left the door open a crack, but Jenkins and Culpepper should be in the lineup on Opening Day in 2027, and the Twins would be making a mistake to let a tempting offer change that.
