Here’s the Opening Day roster for a team that will take the field Thursday in St. Louis.
Ty France, first base
Age: 30
Base salary: $1 million
An All-Star in 2022 for Seattle, France became a free agent when Cincinnati took him off their 40-man roster in November.
Willi Castro, second base
Age: 27
Base salary: $6.4 million
First-time All-Star and team MVP a year ago, Castro played 59 games in the outfield, 56 at short, 40 at second, 27 at third and pitched twice.
Jose Miranda, third base
Age: 26
Base salary: $800,000
After tying a major league record with 12 consecutive hits and batting .326 in the first half, Miranda plummeted to .212 in the second half.
Carlos Correa, shortstop
Age: 30
Base salary: $36 million
Plantar fasciitis sidelined Correa after he made his third All-Star team. Played only 86 games, but had strong numbers (.905 OPS).
Trevor Larnach, left field
Age: 28
Base salary: $2.1 million
Larnach had a breakthrough season to earn a starting spot. Despite nagging injuries, he hit 15 home runs in 112 games.
Byron Buxton, center field
Age: 31
Base salary: $15 million
Back to patrolling the outfield, Buxton played in more than 100 games for the first time since 2017. Health will always be a concern.
Matt Wallner, right field
Age: 27
Base salary: $800,000
Wallner started ‘24 in a major slump, was sent to St. Paul for 67 games, then returned to form to reclaim his starting position.
Ryan Jeffers, catcher
Age: 27
Base salary: $4.55 million
Jeffers solidified himself as the No. 1 backstop, playing 122 games and hitting 21 home runs one season after he led the team in WAR.
Christian Vázquez, catcher
Age: 34
Base salary: $10 million
A strong defensive performer, Vázquez hopes to rebound at the plate; his on-base percentage (.248) was one of the worst in MLB.
Edouard Julien, infield
Age: 25
Base salary: $800,000
His sophomore season was a dud (94 games, 102 Ks, .199 batting average), and Julien spent one-third of it in the minors.
Harrison Bader, outfield
Age: 30
Base salary: $6.25 million
A starter last season for the Mets, Bader assumes the role of departed Manuel Margot. He won a Gold Glove for the Cards in ‘21.
DaShawn Keirsey, outfield
Age: 27
Base salary: $800,000
Keirsey is a lefthander who hit .300 with 36 stolen bases for the Saints last season before playing six games with the Twins.
Mickey Gasper, utility
Age: 29
Base salary: $800,000
In his first big-league season, Gasper was 0-for-18 for the Red Sox. Acquired in a Christmas Eve trade with for P Jovani Moran.
Pablo López, righthander
Age: 29
Base salary: $21.5 million
Numbers dropped a bit from 2023, but López started 32 games in each of the past three seasons and finished strong in 2024.
Joe Ryan, righthander
Age: 28
Base salary: $3 million
A shoulder injury cost Ryan the final two months of 2024, but he was very good (0.985 WHIP) until that point.
Bailey Ober, righthander
Age: 29
Base salary: $3.55 million
Ober put together consecutive solid seasons in the rotation, and was seventh in the AL last season in strikeouts.
Chris Paddack, righthander
Age: 29
Base salary: $7.5 million
Paddack survived offseason trade rumors and had a promising spring, but durability after two Tommy John surgeries is in question.
Simeon Woods Richardson, righthander
Age: 24
Base salary: $800,000
A pleasant surprise in his first full major league season, Woods Richardson had 28 starts and the Twins won 17 of them.
Jhoan Duran, righthander
Age: 27
Base salary: $4.125 million
Duran converted 23 of 25 save opportunities in his second season as closer, although his numbers and velocity dipped from 2023.
Griffin Jax, righthander
Age: 30
Base salary: $2.365 million
One of MLB’s top setup men, Jax had a season with amazing numbers (.873 WHIP, 2.03 ERA in 72 games).
Cole Sands, righthander
Age: 27
Base salary: $800,000
Sands spent the entire season in the majors (9-1, 85 strikeouts in 71⅓ innings) and will be used in high-leverage situations.
Jorge Alcala, righthander
Age: 29
Base salary: $1.5 million
After two seasons ruined because of injuries, Alcala had a great first half of 2024, then two bad months.
Louie Varland, righthander
Age: 27
Base salary: $800,000
After four bad starts at the beginning of the season, Varland went back to St. Paul and now appears to be set in the bullpen.
Danny Coulombe, lefthander
Age: 35
Base salary: $3 million
In his second stint with the Twins, Coulombe had great stats for Orioles last year but missed three months (elbow surgery).
Justin Topa, reliever
Age: 34
Base salary: $1.225 million
After pitching in 75 games for Seattle in 2023, Topa was sidelined for all but three games last season (left knee injury).
Randy Dobnak, righthander
Age: 30
Base salary: $3 million
Dobnak was slated to be a starter at Class AAA St. Paul, but makes the roster because of injuries to others.
Royce Lewis, third base
Age: 25
Base salary: $1.625 million
Injuries continue to pester Lewis, a former No. 1 overall pick who slumped to end the 2024 season. He has a pulled hamstring.
Brock Stewart, reliever
Age: 33
Base salary: $870,000
Stewart has been valuable when healthy, but a career filled with injuries continued with a hamstring issue during spring training.
Brooks Lee, infield
Age: 24
Base salary: $800,000
Thrown into the fire as an emergency callup in July, Lee started his big-league career well before rookie struggles. Has a bad back.
Michael Tonkin, reliever
Age: 35
Base salary: $1 million
Tonkin, a journeyman righthander who pitched for Twins, Yankees and Mets last season, is out because of a shoulder strain.
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