7 Developments That Could Drastically Alter the Twins' Downward-Trending Fortunes

[Nshore]

They went from worst to World Champions in 1991, so I guess anything is possible.   But my expectations are down to the point that I'm not thinking they will contend.  All I ask for 2026  is that when I go to the ballpark I'll see the home team play with some spark and at a Major League level.  Best that can be hoped for.

[High heat]

I like Wallner’s bat, I think learning 1B in the offseason and letting an OF of Outman, Buxton, Martin Roden to start the season.

With Erod and Walker Jenkins not far off.

You can bring in a good defensive SS to fill in and a RH 1B.  That gives you a Wallner Clemens FA 1B rotation at DH/1B with Wallner and Clemens having a little positional flexibility.

 

The bullpen is a disaster and will likely be more throw **** at wall and see what sticks. 
 

I just feel that Pablo and Ryan and Jeffers all get traded and at that point it doesn’t much matter what else you do your a 100 loss team.
 

 

 

[TopGunn#22]

5 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

While I agree that any trade of Lopez/Ryan must return quality, I'm hoping the Twins keep an open mind to all scenarios. Are there possibilities to return a Top 10 (in all of baseball) prospect for Ryan? Looking over the teams now hunting a World Series, there seem to be several who need a guy like Joe Ryan. The return is important. A Ryan-Duran exchange would likely improve both teams. What other teams have an interest in Ryan and are willing to part with a major player or top prospect? I keep going back to Detroit and wonder whether that is even a possible conversation. Mutually beneficial transactions are possible.

I'm not sure Pablo Lopez would return what the Twins would want/need for him.

tony&rodney, I agree 100% the Twins will not get value for Pablo, probably due to his contract vs. trading Joe Ryan.  Both pitchers will be 30 years old in 2026.  We have Pablo signed thru 2027.  Ryan just looks like a lost soul after the trade deadline trauma. 

I would trade Ryan to get someone like Duran and mix in some additional players on each side to see if I could plug a couple of holes.  For example, how about Ryan, Kendry Rojas, Kody Clemens and Wallner for Duran, Payton Tolle, Tristan Casas and Franklin Arias.  Twins give up 97.5 in value.  Red Sox give up 96.7.

Red Sox get Ryan.  They get a power hitting OF/DH in Wallner who replaces Duran.  Power and defensive versatility in Clemens (obvious fan favorite) and a young LHP to replace Tolle with Rojas.

Twins get a solid, All Star OF in Duran who is excellent defensively in LF & CF.  The Twins also get a young LH starting pitcher with good potential to compete for a rotation spot.  They have a potential 1B/DH once he's healthy in Casas and an athletic 18 year old SS in Arias.  Tolle gives the Twins yet another talented young SP candidate (21 y/o) who's already up with Boston and pitching.  That allows even more flexibility to dangle a young SP to a team for a young catcher.  

[Teflon]

1.  MLB adopts a league-wide $70 million salary cap

2. Twins last remaining scout Scotty Carson finds yet another phenom playing for the Heeber Oilers. 

3. ICE raids all other teams' Spring Training sites in one single-day sweep but the Twins are on a team trip to the petting zoo that day.

4. Twins analytics department hacked by WOPR, Colossus and HAL 9000. Team mysteriously ordered to bunt in every at-bat which turns out to be strangely effective. MLB begins discussions on limiting bunting.

5. Nike releases new uniforms accidentally made from steel wool and spun glass by Fansided instead of the usual polyester blend. While rest of league develops debilitating blisters and rashes, the Twins payment to Nike bounces and Twins fortuitously resort to wearing old "comfy" uniforms.

6. Smoke from wildfires in Saskatchewan shroud Target Field most of the summer. The Twins become strangely acclimated to decreased visibility and labored breathing, going 77-4 at home. The Twins and State of Minnesota shrug and allow smoking once again at the ballpark given the circumstances causing Bob Casey to roll over in his grave.

7.  The Twins reinstate Wally the Beer Man, Greg Wilfahrt and bring back Dick Bremer to broadcast 28 games, finally reaching the 5,000 game milestone. Skies clear miraculously in time for the playoffs. The Twins are swept by the Yankees. 

[LastOnePicked]

Nick, you missed the most obvious, and most reliable, path to reversing the Twins' fortunes:

Swap jerseys with the Cleveland Guardians while they're in town.

[T.O.]

10 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

IMO, before we even think about competing, there has to be a change of philosophy from total dependence on cold, weird analytics to a baseball smart approach that's based on fundamentals, where the many human underlying conditions & intangibles (like heart, experience & gut feeling) are considered. 

That's the main thing. It will take a miracle for the needed change to fall in place.

[USAFChief]

Hitting on all 7 of these things probably wouldn't be enough to get the 2026 Twins to the postseason. 

Particularly if Baldelli is still around. 

And they're not hitting on all 7. 

[Jacksson]

PLENTY of Openings on the 40 Man Roster = Lopez, Ryan, Sands, Topa, Tonkin, Cabrera, Hatch, Misiewicz, Jeffers, Vasquez, Julien, Miranda, OUTMAN, Larnach, Wallner, McCusker, Kiersey.  That opens up 17 spots, less whatever might be needed for incoming players who are acquired for the 17 players who are traded/jettisoned.  START SHOPPING !! 

[Otaknam]

The team went from playoff bound in 2024 to downtrodden in 12 months, which is hard to do. Clearly it’s time to totally rebuild this awful team. Ryan will likely want out because he can see how far away this team is from competing. Lopez’ latest injury probably means he can’t be traded this winter. If both Ryan and Lopez are on the 2026 roster I look for them to be traded at the deadline. Who’d want to pitch for Baldelli, who doesn’t trust his pitchers. Go with a total youth movement to give the fans some hope for the future. Hopefully some young starters will be able to find the strike zone. But I’m not hopeful because the FO traded for starters who don’t throw enough strikes to be consistently effective. 

[Otaknam]

15 hours ago, High heat said:

I like Wallner’s bat, I think learning 1B in the offseason and letting an OF of Outman, Buxton, Martin Roden to start the season.

With Erod and Walker Jenkins not far off.

You can bring in a good defensive SS to fill in and a RH 1B.  That gives you a Wallner Clemens FA 1B rotation at DH/1B with Wallner and Clemens having a little positional flexibility.

 

The bullpen is a disaster and will likely be more throw **** at wall and see what sticks. 
 

I just feel that Pablo and Ryan and Jeffers all get traded and at that point it doesn’t much matter what else you do your a 100 loss team.
 

 

 

What has Outman done to deserve a roster spot. He strikes out more than Sano, a feeble accomplishment. 

[TopGunn#22]

They certainly need a complete house cleaning, starting with ownership.  They've gotten their "mystery investors" to infuse $400 million dollars into the operation.  They cut payroll drastically yet again at the deadline.   Are we to believe that none of the $30 million saved by trading Correa and others will be spent on improving the roster? 

This is as sad a situation as Twins fans have ever been in.  The original owner, Calvin Griffith was notorious for not spending money.  But we always gave him credit for paying the guys he obviously had to:  Killebrew, Carew and Oliva.  What began the ultimate death spiral for Calvin's ownership was trading away Blyleven, letting top notch hitters walk for nothing like Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle and ultimately ticking Rod Carew off to the point he had to trade him with no leverage to the Angels and got almost nothing back in return.

Yesterday's doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Guardians where the Twins failed to score a run just highlighted the futility.  I wonder what the Twins forecast for season ticket sales is for next year?  Or what their projection for overall attendance will be?  Even at their lowest point, the Timberwolves never had it as tough as this current triumvirate of ownership, front office and manager/coaching staff.

Things changed for the better for the Vikings after the Wilf brothers took over.  Things had started to turn better for the T-Wolves and Glen Taylor tried his best to weasel out of his sale, but finally, bumbling Glen was sent packing.  It's painfully obvious the Twins need new ownership, a new philosophy, a different approach to building a baseball team.  The Pohlad's are clutching the Twins like their hanging from a cliff.  How bad does it have to get before they finally realize they've worn out there welcome.

In a different post, I suggested a guy like Torey Luvullo would be an interesting manager to pursue if the D-Backs decided to make a change.  He had them in the World Series just a couple of years ago and he had some really heavyweight teams to overcome.  The Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Phillies, Brewers.  But I'm not sure if he's on thin ice in Arizona or not.

But I just can't see much changing with a new manager and a new front office, until the Pohlad's are eliminated from the equation.  Change needs to start from the top.  New ownership is needed to bring a new vision to the Twins.  New owners need to make the decisions on front office and managerial hires.  

[Brandon]

22 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

I'd love to hear more specificity here. Which starters are getting converted to RP, instantly thriving in high-leverage roles, and giving up on their future as starters? What leftovers are we warming up? How often have the Twins spent "wisely" in RP free agency aside from Coulombe? 

I actually think the last item on this list is the only one that is pollyannaish and implausible.

Wisler, Tyler. Clippard, and Theilbar (minor league free agent) were pretty good RP signings.  And they types of signings they should pursue this offseason.  The bullpen needs a lot of work so much so I can see the Twins bringing back To kin and Topa.  As Sands is the only one practically guaranteed a role in the pen.  That’s 7 spots to fill.  Blewett is a FA again…… I doubt the Twins add to payroll this offseason other than to cheaply fill holes on the team.  I would prefer they frontload some extensions for Ryan and Jeffers and prepare for a 2027 run to relevance. Use 2026 to find out who are the solutions and gaining experience for the rookies coming up next year and filling the major holes next offseason.  

[jmlease1]

On 9/20/2025 at 9:06 AM, Doctor Gast said:

I have been very patient with Falvey. I have been criticizing him in hopes that he'd change. I have given up any hope that he'd change. Any hope of competing next year requires a total overhaul of management. Bring back Tori Hunter, bring back other former players, bring back Andy Macphail, promote Drew to FO, bring back Varland & some other players, let them figure it out.

Andy MacPhail is 72, has been out of baseball since 2020, and his last stint as team president in Philly he presided over exactly zero winning seasons. Bringing him back is frankly exactly the sort of country club nostalgia play I'd expect from this ownership to try and play a magic show to hide the fact that they're awful at owning a baseball team and are cutting the payroll again.

 

[rdehring]

7 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Andy MacPhail is 72, has been out of baseball since 2020, and his last stint as team president in Philly he presided over exactly zero winning seasons. Bringing him back is frankly exactly the sort of country club nostalgia play I'd expect from this ownership to try and play a magic show to hide the fact that they're awful at owning a baseball team and are cutting the payroll again.

 

Thanks Nick for an excellent look at what could be.  If even a couple of these happen, we could enjoy 2026.

[Fatbat]

Making a competent bullpen is gonna be tough!  They will no doubt sign a few random dudes, throw them into the  spring training wash and see who makes the team. A ton of prospects will also see innings until they fail. 
The twins need a legitimate leadoff hitter. A competent #2 guy and thats not going to happen until the prospects mature. TL and Wallner need to be playing less and WJ, Erod and Gabby need to be in MLB. 
Go young and trust the development of the youngsters!

[jmlease1]

23 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

I'd love to hear more specificity here. Which starters are getting converted to RP, instantly thriving in high-leverage roles, and giving up on their future as starters? What leftovers are we warming up? How often have the Twins spent "wisely" in RP free agency aside from Coulombe? 

I actually think the last item on this list is the only one that is pollyannaish and implausible.

I would say Raya, Adams, and Ohl for sure. Cory Lewis should probably start thinking about how he could do in relief.

Twins have found some reclamation projects in free agency, but when they've spent more significant money it's frequently gone sideways to be sure. (It's not uncommon, considering how fungible so many relievers are) But Kintzler worked out, Coulombe certainly, Belisle was ok, and Fernando Rodney did the job. But Colome, Robles, Reed...none of them worked.

They could supplement the bullpen in FA and get it back to functional, but the track record on FA relievers is spotty and they simply can't afford to give a guy $8M per and have him crap out.

[Fatbat]

10 hours ago, Jacksson said:

PLENTY of Openings on the 40 Man Roster = Lopez, Ryan, Sands, Topa, Tonkin, Cabrera, Hatch, Misiewicz, Jeffers, Vasquez, Julien, Miranda, OUTMAN, Larnach, Wallner, McCusker, Kiersey.  That opens up 17 spots, less whatever might be needed for incoming players who are acquired for the 17 players who are traded/jettisoned.  START SHOPPING !! 

Erod and Raya are on the 40 man and several more young guys will be added to avoid rule 5 draft losses. The FO shopping at the thrift store doesn’t do it for me. If they won’t pay MLB players a salary to stay, then just play 22-25 yo’s on minimum salary they may become superstars and solid role players. The same immediate result but much higher ceiling potential as they develop.

[TNtwins85]

On 9/20/2025 at 9:00 AM, silverslugger said:

Isn't that the funny thing though?  The entirety of the Falvey/Baldelli era I've been looking at the Twins roster and prospects and saying "if this happens and if that happens" then we'll have a 90 plus win team and we'll contend for the World Series.  I've watched prospects absolutely obliterate the minors, only to come up to the Twins and absolutely stink in ways you'd never imagine.  I've watched the starting pitching be great, only to see the relief corps give up inexplicable runs to blow a save.  I've watched hitters hit monster blasts 1 out of every 20 plate appearances while looking utterly overmatched the other 19.  And then, I've watched statues on the basepaths and A LOT of really poor defensive play.  Well, you get the gist.  If the Pohlads were anything other than the Pohlads, we'd keep Pablo and Joe and get rid of Derek and Rocco.  Instead, it'll be the opposite come February.  Oh well, at least Calvin Griffith no longer owns the team 😬

Isn’t it funny how the 2000’s Twins were built to compete in the regular season and got there several times yet weren’t built to compete in the playoffs. The Falvey/Baldelli Twins were built to compete in the playoffs with the matchups/HR’s/high strikeout pitching staffs yet can’t get there. Maybe in the next 10 years they’ll finally find the perfect mix. I predict a Twins World Series in the year 2032. 

[Jacksson]

17 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Erod and Raya are on the 40 man and several more young guys will be added to avoid rule 5 draft losses. The FO shopping at the thrift store doesn’t do it for me. If they won’t pay MLB players a salary to stay, then just play 22-25 yo’s on minimum salary they may become superstars and solid role players. The same immediate result but much higher ceiling potential as they develop.

Twinkies SHOULD be able to get multiple meaningful players back in return for: Lopez, Ryan, Jeffers, and even possibly something of value for Larnach, Wallner, and Sands.  Between the current players in the organization who have to be elevated due to the Rule 5 PLUS the MULTIPLE PLAYERS the Twinkies select in the Rule 5 PLUS the players received in return for the above referenced 6 trade bait players PLUS an expected influx of MLB free agent cast-offs from other organizations PLUS MiLB free agents benefitting from the 6 year rule or are released PLUS any warm bodies from the Independent Leagues should nicely fill out the projected 17 player openings.

Problem is the same people who orchestrated the 2025 mid season sell off MAY still be in place for off-season trades and signings.

[Doctor Wu]

On 9/20/2025 at 10:19 PM, D.C Twins said:

Abel, Rojas, and Bradley were likely brought in to pretend to fill the massive vacuum that will form with the trading off of Lopez and Ryan... sorry to burst one of your bubbles. We have no evidence yet that any of them will be more than AAAA fillers or bullpen.

No idea how Rojas will end up, but I think Bradley will be a solid rotation piece, and Abel could be a keeper too. Way too early to write off any of those players.

[Doctor Wu]

21 hours ago, Brandon said:

Wisler, Tyler. Clippard, and Theilbar (minor league free agent) were pretty good RP signings.  

And we could have/should have kept Hoffman and maybe Henriquez and a few others too. But bullpens are always very fluid and fickle things. You can never accurately predict how some of these players will do in relief. But I still hold out hope we will find a few useful pieces for next season. 

[Trov]

In terms of the pitchers taken in the trade deadline, you need to give them time in the organization.  This winter and spring will be a big sign on if they can adjust.  We are hoping that when the Twins coaches have time to work with them they will make that extra step. 

[TNtwins85]

2 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

No idea how Rojas will end up, but I think Bradley will be a solid rotation piece, and Abel could be a keeper too. Way too early to write off any of those players.

Exactly, this is baseball not the NBA or NFL. It could take years for some of these guys to fulfill their potential. At least the majority of guys they got are close and not 4–5 years away. Which is why people feel they didn’t get good value on some of these trades. I like Bradley in the rotation too. Abel looks like if he can get his command down he’ll be solid as well if not he’s got elite pen stuff. Rojas looks good. He shows flashes of elite stuff. With him let’s remember that before the Twins he got called up for one game with the Jays AAA team. People are letting emotion rule them when logically they made out pretty good in all of these trades really. Also, realistically if 4 of all the guys they got contribute in MLB that’s pretty good odds for baseball.

[Brandon]

22 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Making a competent bullpen is gonna be tough!  They will no doubt sign a few random dudes, throw them into the  spring training wash and see who makes the team. A ton of prospects will also see innings until they fail. 
The twins need a legitimate leadoff hitter. A competent #2 guy and thats not going to happen until the prospects mature. TL and Wallner need to be playing less and WJ, Erod and Gabby need to be in MLB. 
Go young and trust the development of the youngsters!

Go young?  Walner and Larnarch are young.  Though I do agree we need to find space for WJ, ERod and Gabby.  We also have space at DH and 1B for a rotation of players.

[TNtwins85]

2 hours ago, Brandon said:

Go young?  Walner and Larnarch are young.  Though I do agree we need to find space for WJ, ERod and Gabby.  We also have space at DH and 1B for a rotation of players.

Matt Wallner is soon to be 28. Not young. Larnach will be 29 the start of next season. Not young either. In fact they’re in their peak years and this is what they are. Not middle of the order bats and terrible defensively. Jenkins and Erod are already far better defensively and not far behind offensively. Wallner to 1B. Gabby as DH. Erod and Jenkins in the corners. Wallner has no business in RF once one of them is up and Larnach probably isn’t on the team come next year. 

[RpR]

Ah the perpetual - put them at 1st base - moronics.

[TNtwins85]

7 hours ago, RpR said:

Ah the perpetual - put them at 1st base - moronics.

Where would you put him? What would you do?

[RpR]

Just now, TNtwins85 said:

Where would you put him? What would you do?

Stays where he is at, goes to AAA, or goes to a different team.

[TNtwins85]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

Stays where he is at, goes to AAA, or goes to a different team.

Ok, he’s a sub par defender and you’ve got 2 prospects about to come up who are much better defensively and project to be equal or better hitters. AAA? He’s dominated AAA the last handful of times he’s been there. He goes to a different team. What do you get for him? Probably something but nothing good. Maybe a low minors lottery ticket at best. At worst maybe an older AAA prospect who has stalled out or in a similar position to Wallner. Your 3 options leave little hope. I suggest he plays 1B/DH and stays out of the OF. 

[RpR]

1 minute ago, TNtwins85 said:

Ok, he’s a sub par defender and you’ve got 2 prospects about to come up who are much better defensively and project to be equal or better hitters. AAA? He’s dominated AAA the last handful of times he’s been there. He goes to a different team. What do you get for him? Probably something but nothing good. Maybe a low minors lottery ticket at best. At worst maybe an older AAA prospect who has stalled out or in a similar position to Wallner. Your 3 options leave little hope. I suggest he plays 1B/DH and stays out of the OF. 

He is too slow for 1st base, compared to him, Julien is a speed demon and he cannot handle 1st base.

1st base is a lot more difficult than the obtuse - put him at 1st base = bs that goes on around here suggests.