Analysis: A position-by-position overview of the Twins 40-man roster

As the Twins enter the second half of the offseason calendar, projection systems from FanGraphs and ESPN paint the team’s roster as flawed, but one that is still expected to win around 80 games.

The Twins have a below-average lineup, even after signing free agent Josh Bell, without much reliable production behind Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers. Luke Keaschall had a strong showing during his rookie season, but the Twins desperately need Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner to bounce back in the middle of the batting order.

The bullpen will need to be remade after the Twins traded their top five relievers before the trade deadline in July. The starting rotation projects as a strength, which is why projection systems see a path to a winning season. Those same projection systems, however, overrated the Twins in each of the last two years when they missed the playoffs.

Here’s an overview of the current Twins 40-man roster:

Jeffers is set to assume a heavier workload after Christian Vázquez’s departure. Jeffers has never started more than 81 games at catcher during a season, but he should surpass that in his last year before reaching free agency.

The Twins acquired the 29-year-old Jackson, who played 36 games with the Orioles last season, to be their backup.

“We see some things that feel like there is some staying power there, and maybe a step forward a little bit later on in his journey,” Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll said. “We feel really good about him from a defensive perspective as well.”

Julien is notably out of minor league options, so he will be placed on waivers if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster. Between Kreidler and Fitzgerald, one of them has a strong chance to make the roster as a backup shortstop.

“We’ll get [Kreidler] into camp and see how he fits in that utility-type role, but we definitely feel a high degree of confidence in his ability at short,” Zoll said.

It feels like there is a trade to be made from this group. Wallner, Larnach, Outman, Roden and Rodriguez are all lefthanded hitters — as is top prospect Walker Jenkins, who is in Class AAA — and there are only so many at-bats to hand out.

The righthanded-hitting Martin put himself in a better position for a roster spot with his performance after the trade deadline. Roden had a dismal 12-game stretch with the Twins after he was acquired from Toronto in the Louie Varland trade, one that ended with a season-ending injury, but he dominated in the minor leagues.

Outman is out of minor league options, so he will need to have an impressive spring training to remain on the roster.

A couple of pitchers from this group will probably be converted into relievers. The lefthanded Prielipp has the upside to be a frontline starter, but he could contribute immediately in the bullpen.

Sands, Topa and Funderburk provide the most experience. Orze was primarily used in lower-leverage situations with the Rays last season.