November 17th is an important day on the MLB calendar as that is the deadline for teams to add eligible minor leaguers to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft on December 9th.
2025 was a big year for protections in the Twins organization as they added Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas, Andrew Morris, John Klein, Hendry Mendez, and Gabriel Gonzalez to their 40-man ahead of the November deadline. This year will be a much lighter protection deadline, and we may not even see any 40-man additions
at all. I have selected a group of eligible players that I think are at least worth talking about as potential roster additions as we approach the deadline.
RHP C.J. Culpepper
C.J. Culpepper went unprotected and unselected last offseason, but he is one step closer to being a major league reliever now, and there is bound to be some interest. He is like a righty version of Kody Funderburk. Culpepper has average strikeout stuff, but he succeeds by generating a ton of weak ground contact with his cut fastball, sinker, and breaking balls. He needs to throw more strikes, but there is a quality middle relief profile here if he can put it all together in 2027. The Twins have a tough decision on there hands here deciding if C.J. is worth a 40-man spot.
RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto
Paulshawn Pasqualotto was a force at every level of the minors this summer as he trekked from High-A to Triple-A, posting a 3.73 ERA and 3.62 FIP while striking out 95 batters in 70 innings. He has an interesting pitch mix, leading with a mid-90s fastball that is limited by poor shape but performed well enough in the upper levels. He complements it with two offspeed offerings. He has a changeup at 80-82 with elite velo separation and some strong fade, and he also throws a splitter in the mid-80s that drops off a table with a completely different shape. Pasqualotto has always had a good changeup, but he took its usage to a new and unique level in his breakout 2026 campaign. If he can improve his fastball shape, there is long-term bullpen potential here. Other teams will certainly be scouting up on Pasqualotto if the Twins decide not to protect him.
OF Yasser Mercedes
Yasser Mercedes is an interesting one, because he is the biggest prospect on this list but also the furthest away from the majors. With his 22nd birthday approaching next week, Mercedes possesses all of the raw talent you could ever want. He has easy plus raw power with blazing speed and a plus arm that plays across the outfield. He totaled 18 homers and 52 stolen bags this season, playing most of his games at the High-A level. Hit tool issues and questionable swing decisions have limited his offensive production throughout his minor league career, but if Yasser can find a little bit of success in those areas, he has big potential in all phases. We are seeing good signs is Arizona Fall League right now as he is slashing .302/.389/.488 with 8 walks and 8 strikeouts in 13 games. It is unlikely that he is selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but the slight possibility is there that a team decides to take a full-court shot on this kind of talent, and the success this fall is only going to bring him more into the spotlight.
INF Tanner Schobel
Tanner Schobel is unlikely to be protected and unlikely to be drafted, but he is still worth mentioning in this conversation. He doesn’t quite have the same speed or defensive utility as Ben Ross, but he is a similar defensive profile with a fringy bat. Schobel has quality contact skills with a patient approach but is lacking in the power department. He runs well and plays reliable defense across the infield. One more step forward as a hitter and he could find himself in a major bench league role.
Looking at the Rule 5 Draft itself and seeing what the Twins may do, they have made a selection in each of the last two years. They selected RHP Eiberson Castellanos in 2024, but returned him before the 2025 season after he posted a 7.59 ERA in spring training. They drafted C Daniel Susac in 2025, but he was immediately traded to San Francisco for catching prospect Miguel Caraballo, who has shown off a powerful bat and athletic catching profile as a teenager in rookie ball.
I can see the Twins taking another shot at a talented catcher or reliever as they have done in each of the last two years. There is always room for another big arm on the spring training staff, and there will likely be more players in the Rule 5 Draft pool that are more worthy of a roster spot than those mentions above.
