The Minnesota Twins were reportedly among the teams that had some level of interest in starting pitcher Freddy Peralta before the New York Mets acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. In addition to Minnesota, Rosenthal mentioned the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers as other ball clubs that had some level of interest in the right-handed pitcher.

The Rangers quickly pivoted and acquired left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals on Thursday. As for San Diego, San Francisco and Minnesota, it remains to be seen if they will be able to add a star pitcher this offseason. Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen are still available in free agency, however. 

So, what exactly does the Twins' rumored previous interest in Peralta suggest about the franchise's direction?

It has been a challenge trying to discover the Twins' current franchise direction. They struggled in 2025 and traded Carlos Correa. This offseason, they have decided to hold onto Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez. 

Perhaps this Twins ball club is trying to win in 2026. Trading for Peralta would have been a win-now move, as the '26 campaign is a contract year for him. Rumors are already beginning to surface about a possible Mets-Peralta contract extension, however. The Twins do not spend as much money as the Mets, so a contract extension may have been more difficult for Minnesota to offer Peralta even if they acquired him in a trade.

Nevertheless, Twins fans will surely take notice of Rosenthal's report. If Minnesota believes it can win during the upcoming campaign, then what is to stop the team from attempting to make a trade for another reliable pitcher? Or possibly even signing Valdez or Gallen in free agency?

The worst place to be is stuck in the middle. If they are not going to rebuild, then going all in on the 2026 season does make sense. Building a contender around Buxton, Ryan and Lopez could be the goal at the moment.

With spring training only a few weeks away, the Twins will be a ball club to closely follow for potential roster moves. They may have missed out on Freddy Peralta, but perhaps, similarly to the Rangers, they can pivot and add an impactful starting pitcher. Minnesota needs to make a couple of more moves in order to compete in 2026.