Would Nathaniel Lowe Make Sense for the Minnesota Twins?
· Yahoo Sports
Josh Bell hit .252 with 20 home runs and 88 RBIs for the Minnesota Twins in 2026 on a one-year deal with a mutual option. If the Twins do not bring him back, Nathaniel Lowe makes sense as a replacement option.
Lowe split 2026 between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians, finishing with a .252 average, .317 on-base percentage and .761 OPS across 126 games. He added 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. Those numbers nearly mirror Bell’s production line.
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The split tells the fuller story: Lowe hit .266 with an .820 OPS in 83 games with Cincinnati before posting a .651 OPS in 43 games after the trade to Cleveland. He is a left-handed first baseman who can hold down an everyday role when settled into the right environment.
The fit with Royce Lewis is the other part of this. Lewis took over at first base late in the 2026 season and hit .227 with a .667 OPS across 125 games. He also dealt with a shoulder injury in September.
The bigger issue is his injury history: two torn ACLs, hamstring problems in 2025, and another lost stretch this year. Lewis has not played a full season since he came up. Running Lowe against right-handers while Lewis gets built-in rest days gives Minnesota the platoon flexibility to keep Lewis fresher if they intend on keeping him on the 40-man roster.
Kody Clemens started 145 games at first base, hit 27 home runs and collected 81 RBIs. However, he is a utility man and he is more valuable when he is able to be used as a chess piece all over the diamond.
Lowe was non-tendered by the Boston Red Sox before 2026. He signed with Cincinnati on a minor-league deal, and then produced enough in spring training to earn a spot on the roster. Then, he had a quiet second half in Cleveland.
His market this offseason likely will not be strong again. If Minnesota declines Bell’s mutual option, they can replace him with Lowe for similar or less money and gain the platoon flexibility as a bonus.
It is risky considering how disappointing Lowe was for the Guardians. His OPS dropped more than 150 points after the trade, and if Great American Ball Park was inflating his first-half numbers, the Twins could overpay for half a season of real production.
On a short-term deal, that risk is manageable. Lowe gives Minnesota a Bell replacement and a Lewis workload solution in one move.