Twins, granted a little more money to spend, seek to fortify roster depth

After it appeared the Twins didn’t have any flexibility with their payroll and they would have to trade away a player to create room to sign a free agent, the purse strings have opened a little bit.

The Twins were one of the last teams to sign a major league free agent, and they made their one-year deals with outfielder Harrison Bader and lefthanded reliever Danny Coulombe official Friday. Bader, who will receive a $750,000 signing bonus, is owed a $4 million base salary this year with a $10 million mutual option for the 2026 season that includes a $1.5 million buyout. Coulombe signed for $3 million.

As the Pohlad family explores a sale of the club, the Twins’ estimated Opening Day payroll sits at $140 million, about $10 million higher than it was last season.

“I’ve had active conversations with Joe [Pohlad] the last couple of weeks and he greenlighted, for sure, the ability to add a little bit here to this team,” said Derek Falvey, the Twins president of baseball operations, after the club added $7.75 million to their payroll this week. “I think that’s a credit to them and certainly a tick up for us that allows us to add a little bit more to this roster that we feel already had a good base, but now we’ve clicked off some of those needs.”

Falvey didn’t rule out further moves with spring training workouts beginning Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla. The Twins are seeking a first baseman without any proven options on their roster.

The Twins also have shown interest in adding a backup shortstop, which includes conversations about free agent Paul DeJong, who hit .227 with 24 homers and 56 RBI in 139 games with the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals last year, a source told the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The Twins used utilityman Willi Castro as their backup shortstop and center fielder last season, and they believe that wore him down. Castro, an All-Star last year, had a .276 batting average and .810 OPS through the first three months of the season, then hit .216 with a .613 OPS in the final three months.

“That’s something we’ve talked a lot about,” Falvey said. “When we’ve come up a little bit short or not played the way we wanted to, it’s felt like our depth got tested in a way that we couldn’t quite fill.”

The Twins, with a small bump in payroll, have been more active chatting with free agents than discussing possibilities on the trade market. Trade talks, Falvey said, aren’t as active as they were a couple of weeks ago.

“It picked up a little maybe around TwinsFest time, somewhere in that range,” Falvey said. “To be candid with you, probably not as much of late. I think teams are a little more focused internally now as they’re ready to ship off to Arizona and Florida and try to get things squared away. Some of those last remaining free agents, I think that’s been the vast majority of the noise.”

The Twins view Bader, 30, as an elite defender who can add much-needed speed to the roster. He’s stolen at least 17 bases in each of the past three seasons. Bader, a righthanded hitter, is expected to complement Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach in the outfield corners, and he’ll serve as Byron Buxton’s primary backup in center field.

Bader has started only 34 games in a corner outfield spot, but he told Twins manager Rocco Baldelli he was comfortable in the corners. Improving the outfield defense was a priority after the Twins lost longtime right fielder Max Kepler in free agency and they didn’t have proven options for center behind Buxton.

“When we look at our pitching staff, it’s a fly-ball-oriented staff,” Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll said. “Anything you can do to enhance the strengths of the team you have already, that’s really good. That was definitely part of the calculus for us.”

To make room on the 40-man roster for the two new acquisitions, righthanded reliever Ronny Henriquez was designated for assignment. The Twins already freed up one spot when they traded utilityman Michael Helman to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash Thursday.

Henriquez, 24, had a 3.26 ERA in 19⅓ innings for the Twins last season with 15 strikeouts and five walks. Notably, he is out of minor league options, so he would’ve been subject to waivers if he didn’t remain on the Twins’ 26-man roster all season.