The Minnesota Twins could be in trouble heading into the 2026 MLB season.
The Minnesota Twins entered the offseason with clear priorities, none more pressing than rebuilding a bullpen that collapsed after the 2025 trade deadline. Yet as spring training approaches, the front office’s most notable moves have come in the form of position players, not relief pitchers.
The signing of catcher Victor Caratini to a two-year, $14 million contract last week has sparked debate about whether the team’s limited payroll is being allocated wisely.
Caratini is a solid player, an offensive upgrade over outgoing veteran Christian Vazquez, and his addition could stabilize the catching position. He hit .259 with a .728 OPS last season, compared to Vazquez’s .189 average and .545 OPS.
At $7 million annually, Caratini is cheaper and younger, but his arrival complicates a roster already featuring catchers Ryan Jeffers and Alex Jackson.
Jeffers is entering free agency next offseason with a $6.7 million salary, while Jackson was guaranteed $1.35 million through arbitration.
The Twins now have three catchers consuming a significant portion of a payroll that has been slashed to about $100 million, down from $165 million in 2023. That financial squeeze is what makes Caratini’s deal controversial.
“That makes the reasonably priced Caratini something of a luxury item for a team that could have simply leaned more on Jeffers to make 100-plus starts and seemingly planned to do just that after acquiring Jackson. Is there still money to add much-needed bullpen help? If not, Caratini makes less sense,” wrote Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic on Monday.
That observation cuts to the heart of the troubling development. The Twins desperately need MLB-caliber relievers after trading away Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and other key arms last summer.
Their bullpen posted a 4.93 ERA over the final two months of 2025, one of the worst marks in the league. Since then, the front office’s biggest bullpen move has been acquiring Triple-A right-hander Eric Orze, hardly the type of addition that inspires confidence.
Meanwhile, the roster is cluttered with left-handed corner bats like Josh Bell, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner and Edouard Julien, all of whom offer limited defensive flexibility.
Caratini himself has experience at first base and designated hitter, but his presence only adds to the logjam. With payroll tight, every dollar matters, and the decision to spend $7 million annually on a third catcher raises questions about whether the team will have the resources to address its most glaring weakness.
Unless trades or further signings materialize, the Twins risk entering 2026 with a disjointed roster and a bullpen ill-equipped to compete.
Caratini may be a useful player, but his signing underscores the larger issue: ownership’s spending cuts have left the front office scrambling, and the relief corps remains a disaster in need of urgent repair.