A Minnesota Twins Fan’s MLB Playoffs Cheering Guide

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

For the second straight October, Twins fans won’t have to rearrange their schedules around playoff baseball. Instead of stressing over late-inning bullpen decisions or a lineup change that doesn’t make sense, Minnesotans get to sit back, relax, and decide whom they’re going to casually cheer for in the postseason. It's a luxury, in a way. Here’s a guide to help navigate the options, while I try to sell you this bridge in Brooklyn.

Big Market, No Thank You: Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox
This is the easiest category to cross off the list. Nobody in Twins Territory is itching to see the Yankees add another banner to their overcrowded wall. That rivalry pain runs deep. From the endless playoff heartbreak to the constant national hype, Minnesota fans have seen enough pinstripes for a lifetime. 

The Dodgers and Red Sox fall into a similar boat. Both are loaded with star power, big payrolls, and national TV attention. They’ll get their shine no matter what, but they hardly represent the underdog spirit Minnesotans tend to root for. These teams are like seeing the same blockbuster sequel every October. Fans already know the plot, and it usually ends with someone else’s parade. If you’re looking for joy in October, it probably isn’t going to come from watching one of these teams steamroll the bracket.

AL Central Foes: Tigers, Guardians
There’s no good outcome here. Detroit and Cleveland face each other in the Wild Card round, which at least guarantees that one rival will be eliminated quickly. Unfortunately, the other will move on. Twins fans know these lineups all too well, and the idea of sitting through national broadcasts gushing over Spencer Torkelson or Steven Kwan is enough to make stomachs churn. 

Maybe the best advice is to root for chaos: extra-inning marathons, defensive blunders, and bullpen meltdowns. The Guardians completed a historic comeback to win the AL Central, so Twins fans can pull for the Tigers in the Wild Card round as the lesser of two evils. 

The Shrug Group: Padres, Cubs, Reds
San Diego, Chicago, and Cincinnati all fall into the “why not?” tier. The Padres have Luis Arraez, forever beloved in Minnesota for his pure hitting and infectious smile. He hasn’t been the batting champ version of himself this season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t flick a few opposite-field singles in October. The Cubs have Willi Castro, who became a surprisingly valuable utility player during his stint with the Twins, including being an All-Star last season. They also have old friends Caleb Thielbar and Taylor Rogers in their bullpen. No one in that group is likely to carry their teams, but stranger things have happened in October. Heck, Delmon Young won ALCS MVP back in 2012. The Reds snuck into the postseason and have a handful of former Twins (e.g. Emilio Pagan, Spencer Steer, Zack Littell, etc.), but none who were fan favorites during their Twins' tenure. 

Pick Your AL Favorite: Mariners or Blue Jays
If you want a storyline that mirrors the Twins’ own struggles, the Mariners are a perfect fit. They’ve got playoff futility baked into their DNA, and their fan base knows the pain of waiting too long for postseason success. On top of that, familiar faces like Jorge Polanco and Mitch Garver are easy to root for.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, bring their own Minnesota connection. Jose Berrios, Louis Varland, and Ty France all wore a Twins uniform at one point. Sadly, Berríos’s elbow injury has sidelined him during the most critical stretch of the year, so he may only reappear if Toronto makes a deep run. Still, fans can pick their favorite alum and live vicariously through them.

Pick Your NL Favorite: Phillies or Brewers
The Phillies are practically “Twins East” at this point. Jhoan Duran, Harrison Bader, and Max Kepler are all postseason-bound, and West Fargo’s Matt Strahm adds a regional angle. The roster is stacked, but there’s enough Minnesota flavor to make it palatable, even for fans wary of another big-market contender.

The Brewers might be the other logical choice. They’re a small-market squad that continues to punch above its weight, and there’s something fun about imagining the NL Central running through Milwaukee. Of course, Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalries die hard, and for some fans, decades of Packers pain will outweigh any reason to cheer for the Brew Crew.

When a fan’s favorite team isn’t in the postseason, fandom becomes about narratives, connections, and rooting interests. Whether it’s picking the Mariners because they feel like the Twins’ baseball siblings, latching onto Arraez’s singles in San Diego, or hoping the Phillies’ collection of ex-Twins makes noise, October is still full of storylines for fans to enjoy.

Whoever you choose, remember: at least the Yankees can’t beat the Twins this October.

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Which club are you hoping wins the 2026 World Series? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[mikelink45]

I am rooting for Cleveland and Milwaukee.  I like these Great Lakes teams for the hustle and team ball they play. Plus almost no one outside the Midwest even knows who these teams are. 

[Patzky]

9 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

I am rooting for Cleveland and Milwaukee.  I like these Great Lakes teams for the hustle and team ball they play. Plus almost no one outside the Midwest even knows who these teams are. 

Another Cleve-Cubs series would have appeal

[Doctor Wu]

I'm pulling for the Mariners!

[Strelnikov]

The Reds for no other reason than they kept the team with the highest payroll in MLB, the Mets, out of post-season play.

[Doctor Wu]

Any of the smaller market teams like the Reds, Brewers, or Mariners will fun to see go all the way. 

[twinzcynic]

Reds/Brewers - Guardians would be my desired outcome

[nicksaviking]

Sorry, but you don't cheer for the 'small' markets if you ever want change in the spending inequality. The Steinbrenner's will just point to the Reds and say "See, we don't need to share revenue for a small market team to win". Even though it happens about one out of every 15 World Series.

And then the Pohlad's will turn around and tell the fans, "See, spending money has absolutely NO correlation to winning a World Series!!! Enjoy your 100M payroll Twins fans!"

[DJL44]

The Brewers are a fun team to watch with players who are easy to root for. I also like a lot of players on the Phillies. The Mariners are probably my team to root for in the American League.

[bean5302]

Red Sox opening day payrolls in recent years. I have no problems with those numbers at all.
2025 = $184MM
2024 = $162MM
2023 = $176MM
2022 = $195MM
2021 = $180MM

Like any well run team, the Red Sox will expand payroll as needed, but they don't spend just to spend like the Yankees, Mets or Dodgers.

Seattle > Blue Jays > Red Sox > Detroit > Guardians > Yankees
Brewers > Padres > Cubs > Reds > Phillies > Dodgers

[DJL44]

I really enjoyed TwinsTV this season where I could pay a flat fee to watch all the games. Now we're in the playoffs and the Wild Card games are on ESPN - which I don't have. The next round is on TBS - which I might have depending on whether HBO MAX decides to show the games (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). Other games are split between FOX/FS1 which is a weird combo platter of obviously having the game and not having the game (does FS1 even have a streaming option?) but not knowing which games will be on FOX until a day ahead of time. I'm assuming FOX will not preempt NFL or college football to show playoff baseball games.

It is a lot less exciting to follow playoff baseball when I'm looking at the prospect of a playoff game here and there until the World Series starts. I know fragmenting the playoffs across multiple networks makes the league the most money but it's a pain in the ass for baseball fans.

[T.O.]

1 hour ago, Strelnikov said:

The Reds for no other reason than they kept the team with the highest payroll in MLB, the Mets, out of post-season play.

😄👍

I have those kind of vindictive streaks too. 
That's what's fun about baseball.

[T.O.]

I've been watching the Red Sox some this year, especially enjoying the rivalry with the Yankees, the only team I truly hate. I was pulling for a Blue Jays win yesterday for that reason.

I used to try to hate our competitors in the division but decided it didn't make sense to me. I like the Midwest in general and I admire Cleveland's team particularly. Being a very old traditionalist I look down expansion teams. I like that the AL Central is one of two divisions with only one expansion team.
Being a Twins fans since 1961 I have a strong preference for the AL.

Boston/New York and Cleveland/Detroit will be my favorites to watch.

[Dave Borton]

Reds/Seattle would tickle my fancy,

[David Maro]

I have only one thing to say,see what a real manager can do. Who on this site had the Reds in the playoffs? If this isn't a good reason to cut bait with this FO and manager what is. I know the Reds have a tough road to get to the WS,but I hope they give the Dodgers all they can handle.

[DannySD]

I'd like to give a shout-out to Cleveland for making their late-season run and ridding us of the Astros. 

[WinTwins162]

As a Twins fan now in San Diego, I encourage you all to cheer for the Padres. Fun team, and yes, includes Luis Arraez.

Also, since my daughter is now in Seattle, we're hoping for a Padres-Mariners WS.

[Jason Wang]

seattle mariners mentioned

[Doctor Gast]

I'll root temporarily for any team playing the Yanks. So I'll root for BOS even though they have already let me down. My long list is topped off with teams I admire in how they are run, CLE & MIL. Following that are teams with ex-Twins so SEA, TOR & PHI are my top 3, I'll be cheering for every ex-Twin to do well. My sentimental favorite is SEA because of Polanco, Garver & Raleigh. I'm rooting him to get the MVP, he's the most deserving. SEA has yet to go to the WS, it be nice to see that. Go Polanco!

[Sjoski]

My favorite two teams are the Twins and whose ever playing the Yankees.

But...will go with the Blue Jay's with Varland on the mound winning it all in game 7.

[chpettit19]

Milwaukee (friends and family will be happy if they win)> Toronto > San Diego > LA > Cleveland > Seattle > Boston > Philly (would like to see Duran win). Those are the teams I'm cheering for in order. Don't care about the other few.

[T.O.]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

 My sentimental favorite is SEA because of Polanco, Garver & Raleigh. I'm rooting him to get the MVP, he's the most deserving. SEA has yet to go to the WS, it be nice to see that. Go Polanco!

I like how many baseball fans have sentimental favorites. I feel the same about Polanco. 

[The Great Hambino]

In the American League, I would love to see a Mariners-Blue Jays LCS.  Which means we're almost definitely getting a Guardians-Yankees LCS.

I'm not sure as much on the NL side.  As much as I feel compelled to root against the big market orgs, there are a lot of likable players that create a bit of a paradox for me.  I don't want to see the Dodgers repeat, but I like watching Freeman, Betts, and Kershaw, among others, do their thing.  I generally loathe everything about Philly, but it would be fun to see old friends Duran, Bader, and Kepler have some success.  A Brewers-Reds LCS would be fun for the sheer panic it would cause Turner Sports execs (and other reasons).  I suppose I gotta go with Padres-Reds as my preferred NLCS matchup.  Too bad the Brewers and Padres are on the same side of the bracket.

So I guess I'm pulling for a Mariners-Padres World Series.  If nothing else, player intros while there's still sunlight would be a nice dose of nostalgia

[RLTW894]

7 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I really enjoyed TwinsTV this season where I could pay a flat fee to watch all the games. Now we're in the playoffs and the Wild Card games are on ESPN - which I don't have. The next round is on TBS - which I might have depending on whether HBO MAX decides to show the games (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). Other games are split between FOX/FS1 which is a weird combo platter of obviously having the game and not having the game (does FS1 even have a streaming option?) but not knowing which games will be on FOX until a day ahead of time. I'm assuming FOX will not preempt NFL or college football to show playoff baseball games.

It is a lot less exciting to follow playoff baseball when I'm looking at the prospect of a playoff game here and there until the World Series starts. I know fragmenting the playoffs across multiple networks makes the league the most money but it's a pain in the ass for baseball fans.

DO NOT get SLING TV. They don't have local channels in Minneapolis market. You will not get Fox and won't be able to watch the World Series. 

I grew up a Brewers fan and adopted the Twins as my 2nd team. I've been a Twins season ticket holder going on 4 years now, and never had Brewers season tickets. I am thrilled to see the Crew do well and will definitely be cheering them on as an example of what a well run small market (the smallest) team can do. That said, I am also cheering for the Phillies because of Kepler, Duran and Bader. Honestly, those are the only 3 players I care about on the Phils.

I'd love to see a Brewers/Mariners World Series. However, with the Crew limping into the playoffs, it's really anybody's Series to win this year, which will make it a lot of fun to watch. I'm still dreaming about a Twins/Brewers series. Emphasis on dreaming...

[Blyleven2011]

14 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

I'm pulling for the Mariners!

Mariners and Milwaukee  in the series , Seattle has never been there , Milwaukee lost to st Louis in 1982  ...

Would be nice to have those teams and only one comes out a winner with a parade  ...

Padres have been there a couple of times and haven't won a world series either,  but I'm not sure they can get there  ...

[tony&rodney]

13 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I really enjoyed TwinsTV this season where I could pay a flat fee to watch all the games. Now we're in the playoffs and the Wild Card games are on ESPN - which I don't have. The next round is on TBS - which I might have depending on whether HBO MAX decides to show the games (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). Other games are split between FOX/FS1 which is a weird combo platter of obviously having the game and not having the game (does FS1 even have a streaming option?) but not knowing which games will be on FOX until a day ahead of time. I'm assuming FOX will not preempt NFL or college football to show playoff baseball games.

It is a lot less exciting to follow playoff baseball when I'm looking at the prospect of a playoff game here and there until the World Series starts. I know fragmenting the playoffs across multiple networks makes the league the most money but it's a pain in the ass for baseball fans.

A shortcoming of mlb.com is that it is unavailable in the postseason. I find it hard to believe that mlb.com subscribers cut into ESPN / ABC/ TBS/ Fox / etc.

MLB reduces their viewing public when they cut off their most faithful fans. That doesn't seem to be a good business model but I'm willing to hear the other side of this tale.

[S Bart]

Padres v. Mariners.....in WS. Both teams are after a title for the first time. 

[Patzky]

If you care the Wild have singed Kirill Kaprizov to an 8-year, $136M extension.

It can be done.

[Bodie]

I think youtube has old games.

Might be the last chance I have to see a competent Twins team....

Go utube!!!!