Grading the Minnesota Twins' 2025-2026 Offseason

[Cris E]

21 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

In what world do the Twins show a chance of improving in 2026? 

Only in a world that has Byron Buxton healthy and duplicating his 2025 season.  Where Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner each hit 30 HR's.  Where Keaschall stays healthy, plays in 150 games, has an OPS approaching .780 and steals 35-45 bases.  Lee reaches 20 HR's and plays "passable" defense and rookies like Walker Jenkins, E-Rod, Prielipp and Gonzalez all exceed expectations. (Not to mention that Ryan, Lopez and Ober ALL stay healthy and perform at peak ability). 

How likely are ALL of these things to coalesce and come to pass?  

Yeah, that's a strawman.  They could improve with half of those things going right, or only getting half way there. I realize you live to bash the Pohlads, but try to stay tethered, you know?  We can only improve if Lee hits 20 HR? What about 17? 

[rv78]

We aren't the only ones who think the Twins FAILED

https://www.theringer.com/2026/02/12/mlb/mlb-offseason-grades-best-signings-trades-deals-spring-training

[JD-TWINS]

ROTATION is above average and certainly able to help them compete. IMO …… Abel, Morris, Rojas are depth guys behind Bradley in the 5th spot.

PEN has 3 guys back that are all reasonable contributors in Topa - Funderburk - Sands ……., Orze offsets loss of Stewart and Rogers offsets loss of Coulombe. Klein - Adams - Raya - Prielipp - Festa - Matthews are all guys that can be involved with filling the last 3 spots. They got 3-4 dumpster FA signings that may net them one reasonable PEN option - at least a few weeks of “OK” at some point in the year?

Nobody was going to be pursued to replace Lewis at 3B ………. Lee SHOULD be the Utility guy on the dirt with a better defensive SS option every day, disappointing development for sure. Nobody was going to be pursued to replace Keaschall at 2B ………. Bell at 1B is a shot in the arm offensively and not a huge step back with glove - significant drop off defensively but still an overall plus at the position. Larnach is a solid LH platoon option at DH for 70% of games that are v. RH pitching. Caratini/Jeffers are RH platoon options at DH. Caratini replacing Vazquez is an improvement and coupled with Jeffers, the Catching unit is solid. OF wasn’t going to be an area of adding players v. FA or trades ….. considering Wallner should be capable of some comeback upswing at the plate…….. Buxton is not getting displaced …….. Martin/Clemens/Larnach/Outman/Roden are all in the LF potential mix. Jenkins - Gonzalez - Rodriguez ALL potentially being ready at some point in ‘26 solidified the ZERO interest in pursuing any OF help.

A thought: Sign Zack Littell for $18M for 2 years to anchor the 3-4 spot in rotation. ……… trade some combination of existing pitching & and offensive prospect to Nationals for C.J. Abram’s………..OR move up #1 Draft Pick, M. Houston, at SS to lean into his defense and not worry about his .195 BA …… gains some premium defense and no FA signings needed (no $ spent) and  current prospects are kept in tact.

 

[Riverbrian]

On 2/11/2026 at 3:09 PM, JADBP said:

Many of you missed the point of this off-season.  There are many high ceiling players on the Twins right now and only one position player who has reached his ceiling (Buxton).  Maybe Jeffers is close, on offense, but probably not on D.  But, look at all of these high ceiling players who are woefully short of reaching that ceiling:  Lewis, Lee, Larnach, Wallner, and maybe even Martin and Keaschall.  And, the entire bullpen.  Imagine if Lewis were hitting 30 dingers a season (he was, at one time, plus at all 5 tools), or Wallner and Larnach hitting 20+ each, and Martin and Lee consistently hitting over .300.  Imagine some combination of these playing superb defense.  This is what we were promised as we drafted and developed these high ceiling players.  But they are all sitting on the floor.  

Now, THIS IS exactly what I believe Zoll, Tom, Shelton, and the strategists are looking at right now....they are looking at a group of players that need to be retrained, reoriented, restructured, fixed, and coached up far closer to their ceiling.  Because if just 3 or 4 of them achieve this, the Twins DO become competitive.  

Sure, there are still holes,  1B.  The bullpen.  Maybe a true vacuum cleaner at SS.  But we have plenty of highly desirable talent close in AAA. But, if you squint, you could see a breakthrough with this fairly well stacked but largely underachieving talent!  

So, I credit Tom with cleaning the management and coaching houses and giving the new guys a crack at turning this horde of talent into something respectable, something "competitive."  Rocco is gone--along with many of his minions.  Falvey is gone, with his inane hole-patching trades.  The problem was never that we didn't have talented players, it was that we never saw the talented players we already have reach their potential.  We even saw great players come onto this team and regress to their floor (I'm looking at you, CC). 

There's a new sheriff in town....let's hope that they can turn this around.   Tom is gonna give them a chance to do it.  

This doesn't mean that I am optimistic for a winning 2026....but it is the overarching strategy that Tom has put in place.  It clearly explains the lack of off-season moves.  It might work, but I expect it will take a culture cleansing in the clubhouse and that will take more than one season. 

Too much Maur-itis still exists in this clubhouse!

I gave you a thumbs up. I think your post is fair. 

 

[Riverbrian]

On 2/11/2026 at 3:43 PM, JADBP said:

Yes, I know.  But I don't think Derek is Rocco-like.  Rocco was super laid back.  I think Derek has more fire in him.  A little more Madden-esqe.

I'll give Derek Shelton a shot. I hope he does great... but he is starting in a hole with me. 

During his 5 years and change with the Pirates. He lived and died with Margot type vets. This is easily confirmed by simple review of his PA leaders every year of his tenure. 

His offensive development track record was horrible. This is easily confirmed by the Royce Lewis sized disappointment with Oneil Cruz and the Ke'Bryan, Suwinski, Gonzales sized development issues. 

Was that the front office or Derek? I don't know but the Twins and Pirates have been doing the same crap.

The only difference is that the Twins spent significantly more money.

Until this year. 

[Riverbrian]

If I had to grade the off-season at this point.

F is the only grade I can give. I hate giving out F's because it just lacks creativity. 

However... there are two reasons that I can't give at least a D-. 

A. They didn't go the direction I thought they should go. I strongly believe that they should have at the very least cashed out Joe Ryan whose trade value will never be higher and cashed out the expiring contract of Ryan Jeffers.

I strongly believed they should have done everything possible to bring in a young SS and a Young 1B to address the huge development holes, to address the current infield depth issue, to provide competition for the entire infield, to increase your odds of someone being successful on the development front.

I strongly believe that they should have flooded the 26 man with youth and let competition reveal who will help going forward and lowering the amount of holes that need to be filled the next off-season and the next off-season after that. 

I strongly believe that no major league team should go into any season THIS THIN in the infield!!! This infield is incredibly thin... especially in consideration of a team that is GOING FOR IT. 

I am all for Lewis and Lee getting opportunity. I am strongly against not having a net for them. Bets are not hedged. all eggs are in one basket. No competition for playing time. If Lewis and Lee and Keaschall for that matter fail. There is no immediate solution. There is no future solution after Culpepper. 

B. Ok I didn't get what I want. I'll just have to live with that because they are on the road they are on. Here is the second reason for the F grade.

Resource allocation.

They spent almost their entire budget on basically two DH's. If they are not trading Jeffers... and if Jeffers is going to get the lions share of time behind the plate. Caratini is the 7 million dollar part time catcher that will have to DH to get 7 million dollars worth of AB's out of him. And there stands Bell for another 7 million dollars and that's the budget. 

There is simply no explanation for the off-season. But... I will be watching our prized free agent being a DH who hits good FOR A CATCHER.  

 

[JADBP]

On 2/12/2026 at 5:07 AM, Major League Ready said:

Doing the same thing and expecting different results is not a good strategy, it's the definition of insanity.  What successful franchise would follow this strategy?  What are the Cardinals doing in a similar situation even though they have a fair amount more payroll capacity?  Is this what the Guardians, Rays or Brewers would do?  Not a chance.   They were bad with Joe and Falvey but Tom's "strategy" is the product of a special kind of incompetence.  Imagine someone in management saying here is my plan to make a contender out of one of the worst teams in the game.  We spend less, add a couple of mediocre players to fill holes, and ignore a BP that was decimated.   Tom guiding this team's direction looks like the worst-case scenario to me.   I will hope along with everyone else here that everything falls in place as you have outlined but the odds are VERY long indeed.  This team getting sold is the only way to salvage this train wreck.

I agree that the 2025 Twins were very, very bad!  I am saying that the coaching/management excuse has been removed.  Now if we completely fail again, and all of these huge upside players again fail, then yeah, it is the Pohlads.  But as I said, it is now up to new coaches and management.  No more Rocco, Falvey and Joe in charge.  No more excuses now.  Put up or shut up, Mr. New Sheriff in Town!  LOL  I am not sure that I agree that the new sheriff is the same as the old sheriff.