Royce Lewis Has Message on His Future as Twins Offseason Begins

With Milwaukee beating Tampa Bay on Wednesday to win the World Series, the offseason is fully here for the Minnesota Twins, and one of the first questions is what to do with first baseman Royce Lewis.

He talked about his season and his future in comments published by MLB.com this week, and he sounded sure of himself about where he will be down the road.

Lewis opened 2026 as the starting third baseman, but a deep slump led the Twins to option him to Triple-A St. Paul on May 19.

By the time he came back on June 6, infielder Brooks Lee had been moved from shortstop to third base, and his switch to the hot corner went so well that he is now a Gold Glove finalist, with the winners set to be announced on Sunday.

Lewis then spent most of the second half at first base with second baseman Kody Clemens next to him.

He finished the year hitting .227 with 15 home runs, 57 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a .667 OPS in 125 games.

He told MLB.com he was proud of reaching his goal of 130-plus games once his Triple-A time is counted, and he said his biggest fix is to stop chasing pitches, which hurt him over the last month and a half.

Manager Derek Shelton said the biggest thing for Lewis is consistency over a full season, since the Twins have seen him both hot and cold.

The Twins finished 77-85 and third in the American League Central, and there has already been talk that the club could look for an upgrade over Lewis at first base.

Lewis told MLB.com that his pay is not on his mind, and from there he turned to how long he wants to stay.

"No, I see myself as a Twin for a lot longer than, I don't know, what I have two more years [until free agency]. Yeah, I see myself as a Twin for a lot longer than that," Lewis said.

I like hearing a 27-year-old say that after this year, because he could have made excuses and instead he talked about fixing his swing decisions and staying put.

According to MLB.com's Matthew Leach, the Twins are set at two infield spots, with Lee at third base and shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, who has a strong case for the Opening Day roster, at short.

Leach also wrote that Minnesota is unlikely to carry a player who is mostly a designated hitter, so first base is the only real spot left for Lewis.

That puts real pressure on Lewis, because a team expects a big bat at first base, and a .667 OPS is not good enough there.

He knows what to fix, and chasing fewer pitches is the best way to find the steady play Shelton wants.

I would keep Lewis and give him the first crack at first base in spring training, but the Twins should still bring in a proven bat who can play there, because a lineup that wants to make the playoffs in 2027 cannot bet the whole position on one player finding his form again.