4 Reasons for Optimism About the 2026 Minnesota Twins

[Adam Friedman]

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

After a 92-loss season, a trade deadline fire sale, and a lackluster offseason, Twins fans are overwhelmingly pessimistic about 2026. Still, there’s talent on the roster, with emerging players and potential breakout candidates. The Twins also remain in a poor division—one they could win if enough goes right, giving hope for an entertaining and potentially competitive season ahead. 

Star Players Returning
With the trade deadline selloff, the Twins lost their top bullpen talent. Yet, star players remain in the rotation and lineup. The longest-tenured Twin, Byron Buxton, is coming off his healthiest season in nearly a decade, while remaining productive. 

Buxton delivered 5.0 FanGraphs WAR in 2025, combining 35 home runs and 24 steals (without being caught) with cromulent center-field defense. At 32, he still has fuel left, and fans should enjoy a future Twins Hall of Famer. After waiting for a healthy season, seeing another would make the 2026 team highly watchable. 

Joe Ryan has been at the center of trade rumors since the 2025 trade deadline, but he is still in Minnesota. He’s coming off his most successful season and could be moved at the 2026 deadline, but fans should appreciate him for now. Ryan might not have finished last year the way he hoped, but he still racked up 171 innings, 194 strikeouts, and a 3.42 ERA. 

He has established himself as a true frontline starter, giving the team a chance every fifth day. He's also aesthetically pleasing to watch, not only for his fluid movements and occasional bursts of emotion, but for the fact that he pounds the strike zone and doesn't get himself into trouble by walking people. Even if things go wrong elsewhere, as long as Ryan stays healthy, Twins fans will have a frontline starter to watch every fifth day.

Emerging New Core
While the current core (not Buxton or Ryan, perhaps, but Matt Wallner, Royce Lewis and company) has disappointed many fans, a new offensive group is ready to step up. They’ll begin 2026 in St. Paul, but are nearly ready to debut. 

The core is headlined by Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, and Kaelen Culpepper, with Gabriel Gonzalez staking an increasingly strong claim as the fourth piece in the puzzle. This group offers both upside and varying profiles, which will be on display at both CHS Field and Target Field throughout the 2026 season.

Jenkins projects as the highest-upside player, combining excellent bat-to-ball skills with notable gap-to-gap power, speed, and reliable defense. Rodriguez carries exceptional power and a disciplined approach at the plate, complemented by strong defense and speed. Gonzalez, in contrast, is a free swinger who generates line drives across the field from the right side. Culpepper brings strong contact ability and the skills to stay at shortstop, making him a potential regular at a premium position. 

This group will be imperative to the organization’s success in 2026, 2027, and beyond, making their development a key storyline this season.

2025 Trade Deadline Paying Quick Dividends
As painful as the 2025 trade deadline was, the Twins got solid returns on most of the deals. The players Minnesota received range in how close they are to being ready for the big leagues, but many players will make an impact in 2026. 

Taj Bradley and Mick Abel will certainly impact the 2026 Twins after coming over from Tampa Bay (for Griffin Jax) and Philadelphia (for Jhoan Duran), respectively. Both will be in the rotation, after Abel beat Zebby Matthews for the last spot with a fantastic spring. Should those two pitch well, it will be a good start to the deadline sell-off paying off, setting the organization up well in the long run. 

Besides those two starters, the outfield should see James Outman and Alan Roden this year. There’s also a chance Kendry Rojas or Hendry Mendez will debut. By season’s end, last year's trade deadline could be seen as a positive turning point for fans, with Abel and Bradley headlining a new wave of talent.

The Left Side of the Infield: Two Last Chances
Recent years haven’t gone well for Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee. They’re nearing the end of their runway to stay in the Twins' long-term plans. Otherwise, the team will consider internal or external alternatives.

After Lewis’s ascension in 2023 and a good start to 2024, he was very poor at the plate during the 2024 collapse and throughout 2025. He did, however, improve to average or better at third base. For him to be a productive player, he needs to turn it around offensively. Maybe, with new hitting coaches and some new voices in the clubhouse (and his back against the wall), he can get going once again.

Lee has not come anywhere near the heights that Lewis hit at his peak. In 2025, he got on base at a putrid .285 rate and lacked the slug to offset that deficiency. Defensively, he graded out poorly at second, third, and short. The key for Lee will be whether he can improve on either or both sides of the ball enough to be a competent starting shortstop. He showed he’s motivated by overhauling his body in the winter.

With Culpepper approaching and Marek Houston emerging for 2027, Lewis and Lee must perform to remain in consideration. 

Even though expectations are rightfully low for this team, there’s a world where enough clicks for them to remain competitive, and even win the poor AL Central. Even if they can’t compete, though, there are plenty of fun things to look forward to with this team.

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[Nshore]

I'll enjoy the season no matter what happens because I enjoy baseball. 

It's worth remembering that almost all the superlatives they're saying about Jenkins they were saying about Lewis not so long ago.  Baseball is hard.  They have to prove it on the ML field.  You never know what you're going to get.

  

[Heiny]

Nice optimistic article, but I'm still pessimistic.  Wallner, Larnach, Lewis, Lee,  all highly touted 1st rounders.  None have performed up to expectations.  Continual signings of over the hill free agents and the pitching pipeline that seems to have a leak in it do not encourage hurraah.  The future does look brighter, but only if our new batch of highly touted prospects develop to expectations.  Jenkins, Rodriguez. Culpepper, Gonzalez, Prilippe, Abel, Tait along with the emergence of Keaschall will keep me watching.  But hey,  I kept watching during the late 70's and early 80's, so there's that.

[shimrod]

Reasons for optimism about the Twins 2026 season?

Personally, I can look forward to almost all of their games being available on my MLB.tv package. Better teams games are frequently coopted by channels I don't pay for. There should be minimal demand for the Twins on national broadcasts so aside from regional blackout games I should be able to watch almost daily. 

I think of a Woody Allen line about a restaurant - "The food there is terrible, and the portions are too small."

The Twins may be terrible but I should get a larger than normal portion. Reason for optimism!

[bean5302]

Reason for optimism for the 2026 team? Guys who aren't on the roster, but might be some day. LOL.

The Twins need a lot of career years out of their roster to be competitive. We'll see, but this looks like a wasted season right now.

[Jeff K]

Souhan's article in the Trib sums up my feelings when I'm trying to be positive.  It will be interesting to see the young guys develop and maybe some of our disappointments improve.  Wallner certainly looks like he might put it together this season.  I would like to see the front office depart with guys who are in the way of our youngsters.  Outman and Larnach SPRING to mind.

[Major League Ready]

I will be watching a lot more Saint's games until that "emerging core" makes it to Mpls.  They will be a lot more exciting to watch.

[Old Twins Hat]

This year's team is way more exciting than last year's team, for me.

Baseball has become a young man's game and we got that.

No more Carlos Correa ruling the clubhouse.  The kids have to step up and play like men, hit like men.  And if not, there are young guys behind them to take their place.  No excuses, no man-splaining: it's do it or back to the minors.

Well I remember when Gaetti, Hrbek, Larkin, Bartlett, Pucket -- they all showed up and you could see that there was potential there.  Every win, every home run, every rally -- you could see that they were coming up and would be a force.  Two World Series later, we had an era that will never be forgotten.

Keep an eye out for kids that can play.

[chpettit19]

Another mostly healthy year from Buxton would/will be very fun to watch.

I'm interested to see what Bradley and Abel do. I don't know if I'd call it optimism, but I'm interested. I saw Abel throw at Spring Training, and he's incredibly intriguing. So, I guess there's a little optimism that he can step forward as someone who looks like a playoff caliber starter we can start rebuilding the staff around.

Most definitely interested in seeing Emma, Jenkins, GG, etc. debut. Similar to the pitching, it's mostly interest at this point, but there's certainly a little optimism for Jenkins in particular.

Wallner has looked locked in after the first couple weeks of spring, so there's a little optimism for me there, as well. If he can put together a full season to match what he did in half seasons in 2023 and 2024, that'd be a huge boost to the lineup. Just like the previous 2 stances, it's mostly interest at this point, but I have a little optimism around him. At this point, Lewis is simply interest to see if he can get his career back on track.

In summary, there's certainly some interesting things, but much more minimal optimism leading into this season.

[Nshore]

Josh Bell is built like an NFL linebacker.  He and Wallner could take on the entire opposing team in a bench clearing brawl.  So we have that going for us, which is nice.

[terrydactyls]

Four Reasons:

Bourbon,  Gin,  Vodka,  Whiskey

[Hunter4848]

You forgot to categorize this article as satire. 

[rdehring]

31 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

I will be watching a lot more Saint's games until that "emerging core" makes it to Mpls.  They will be a lot more exciting to watch.

Question MLR?  Who has the better lineup, the Twins or Saints?

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Adam must have drawn the short straw, I didn't think optimism was allowed on this website...

I am excited to watch and listen to the Twins this year (except for the middle innings). Everyone knows this is a transition year for the Twins with a looming strike next year. Nobody is being blocked. Until shown otherwise, I believe the "quality" prospects are being held back intentionally so service time isn't burned next year.

Lewis, Lee, Martin, Outman, Larnach, Clemens, Arcia, most of the bullpen, are all effectively at career crossroads and need to prove a lot of things. Fans can argue about whether they belong, but they are all being given the chance to prove they belong.

I am hoping that the leashes are short where needed and the Twins learn the meaning of "sunk cost", but time will tell.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

59 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Reason for optimism for the 2026 team? Guys who aren't on the roster, but might be some day. LOL.

The Twins need a lot of career years out of their roster to be competitive. We'll see, but this looks like a wasted season right now.

No baseball season is a wasted season. Play ball. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

6 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Adam must have drawn the short straw, I didn't think optimism was allowed on this website...

I am excited to watch and listen to the Twins this year (except for the middle innings). Everyone knows this is a transition year for the Twins with a looming strike next year. Nobody is being blocked. Until shown otherwise, I believe the "quality" prospects are being held back intentionally so service time isn't burned next year.

Lewis, Lee, Martin, Outman, Larnach, Clemens, Garcia, most of the bullpen, are all effectively at career crossroads and need to prove a lot of things. Fans can argue about whether they belong, but they are all being given the chance to prove they belong.

I am hoping that the leashes are short where needed and the Twins learn the meaning of "sunk cost", but time will tell.

I hope "Garcia" is on a very short leash. I don't know who he is. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

28 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Another mostly healthy year from Buxton would/will be very fun to watch.

I'm interested to see what Bradley and Abel do. I don't know if I'd call it optimism, but I'm interested. I saw Abel throw at Spring Training, and he's incredibly intriguing. So, I guess there's a little optimism that he can step forward as someone who looks like a playoff caliber starter we can start rebuilding the staff around.

Most definitely interested in seeing Emma, Jenkins, GG, etc. debut. Similar to the pitching, it's mostly interest at this point, but there's certainly a little optimism for Jenkins in particular.

Wallner has looked locked in after the first couple weeks of spring, so there's a little optimism for me there, as well. If he can put together a full season to match what he did in half seasons in 2023 and 2024, that'd be a huge boost to the lineup. Just like the previous 2 stances, it's mostly interest at this point, but I have a little optimism around him. At this point, Lewis is simply interest to see if he can get his career back on track.

In summary, there's certainly some interesting things, but much more minimal optimism leading into this season.

Sorry I missed seeing you at spring training. I agree that Abel was incredibly intriguing. I want to see Houston at SS for the Twins, sooner rather than later. He is a joy to watch fielding that key position.  I am also interested to see how Ober does. So far, he has struggled. And Dasan Hill and Edwardo Tait are the real deals. 

[jorgenswest]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Reason for optimism for the 2026 team? Guys who aren't on the roster, but might be some day. LOL.

The Twins need a lot of career years out of their roster to be competitive. We'll see, but this looks like a wasted season right now.

I see it so different. Baseball is entertainment to me. The hours I spent listening and watching last year were not a waste. They won’t be a waste this year. If they were a waste to me I would spend that time elsewhere. 

[Coach Wheels]

Good writers know how to spin darkness into daylight and this article attempts just that. 😀

I'll also watch because I love the game of baseball. If I'm truly "optimistic" I would call 75-78 wins a good year based on the Opening Day roster. Rosters can and do change so......we'll see.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Baseball is fun.  It’s also terribly unpredictable.  I’m not thinking this team is going to be very good, but I do think they might surprise and play some exciting (sometimes for the wrong reasons) baseball games.  How quickly we sort through the haves and the have nots on this current roster will likely determine how quickly we can become more likely to compete.  I’m anxiously awaiting that development. 

[wavedog]

My 4 reasons for finding optimism were going to be 1) Drugs 2) Alcohol 3) Finding Religion 4) Mental instability   and I am a generally optimistic person.   That being said I will be watching with my MLB.tv subscription.   Being a fan since the late 1960's I have made it through a lot of bad seasons.  My approach will be to celebrate individual player improvement and success and try not to focus on the big picture.  Hopefully we don't hang on too long to vets that are underperforming and we see some of the younger guys get a try so that they gain some experience.   If somehow a bad fundamental, bad defense, meh offense and no bullpen injury-prone team can compete for a playoff spot I will be pleasantly surprised.

[Major League Ready]

20 hours ago, rdehring said:

Question MLR?  Who has the better lineup, the Twins or Saints?

Buxton, Keaschall and perhaps Bell / Wallner make the Twins better but the Saints will be better defensively and more exciting on the bases.  I will watch the Saints because Jenkins / Culpepper / Rodriguez and Gonzalez are crucial to the Twins becoming a contender or even a serious playoff team.  Matthews, Prielipp, Rojas, and Raya could also provide a big boost.  Of course, prospect development is always key but we need it more than ever and I don't recall this many legit prospects being on the door-step in a long time.

[TheLeviathan]

The only thing that might have actually belonged on this list is the Pohalds selling the team.  

Maybe we'll be so bad that they'll bail?  Can one dare to dream?

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Sorry I missed seeing you at spring training. I agree that Abel was incredibly intriguing. I want to see Houston at SS for the Twins, sooner rather than later. He is a joy to watch fielding that key position.  I am also interested to see how Ober does. So far, he has struggled. And Dasan Hill and Edwardo Tait are the real deals. 

Yeah, I should've put a message out on here to see who was there and see if I could meet a few of my fellow TD posters. I watched Houston some on the back fields and he's certainly on a different level than most every teammate I saw him do drills with. I don't know about his bat yet, so I'm fine waiting. No amount of defense makes up for an auto-out in the lineup. But I'm hoping he can hit enough to get there because it'd be great to have a true topline defender at SS for many years. Ober is a big boy. I didn't see him throw, though. Hill has an electric arm, and I love watching Tait hit. Hope they can really start to put it together this year and move up the system further.

[LastOnePicked]

The only optimism I feel for 2026 is that we won't have to hear Baldelli give flimsy excuses after crushing losses. That alone is a major improvement going into the season.

They need to develop a signature brand of fundamentally-sound baseball, they need to help young players adjust and excel, and they need to trade assets as soon as the market offers opportunity.

They'll lose at least 88 games, but if 2026 proves that 2025 was rock-bottom and that the bounce up has begun, that'll be a major win for the franchise.

[LyleCole]

Well, what is "optimism".   In fact, I think the "optimistic" view of the Twins 2026 is disastrous.  

Why you may be asking?

Because that simply isn't good enough.  The BEST CASE scenario for this team is an 86 win season and squeaking a Central Division title our by one game and then getting destroyed in the playoffs. That is if everyone remains healthy, they get a lot of luck (for example, the other Central teams have bad seasons), every player improves, several players have career years and did I say everyone remains healthy?  

But that approach just sets up the band aid, low economic pretend "contenders" approach for 2027 when everything might not go perfect.  If they really wanted to be contenders, then why the sell off last season at the deadline?   

This half way approach is not how you build a championship team on a budget.  That takes investment in losing to develop the players that can make you a contender.  You build the solid core of the contending franchise around your prospects you either drafted or traded for (Hrbek, Gaetti, Puckett, Gagne, Brunansky, Viola, Bush, Larkin in 1987) (mostly same core in 1991 with Knoblauch, Tapani, Erickson and Aguilera).  Then add the smart additions that fill in the gaps where your prospects did not develop (Reardon, Gladden,  Smalley, Bert, Reardon, Berenger in 1987) (Mack, Chili, Harpe, Jack Morris, Big Train Willis).

That is the only approach to winning in Minnesota.  I would add they almost did it in the Mauer-Mourneu-Hunter-Santana-Nathan years but they just could not plug enough of the gaps like the 87 and 91 team did.

[Whitey333]

My expectations for the Twins are at an all time low.  But maybe that's good.  But the current list of "can't miss prospects" are just different names to add to the fire.  Guys that were supposed to be super But are barely hanging on.  It will be fun to see how the younger players develop under Shelton.  After all he had a great run in Pittsburgh.  Right?  Go Twins!. Still love you but not buying into the continued hope and hype.  Im done being fooled.  You will have to prove it to me this time.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

1 hour ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I hope "Garcia" is on a very short leash. I don't know who he is. 

I meant Arcia. Thanks for the catch

[Linus]

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Another mostly healthy year from Buxton would/will be very fun to watch.

I'm interested to see what Bradley and Abel do. I don't know if I'd call it optimism, but I'm interested. I saw Abel throw at Spring Training, and he's incredibly intriguing. So, I guess there's a little optimism that he can step forward as someone who looks like a playoff caliber starter we can start rebuilding the staff around.

Most definitely interested in seeing Emma, Jenkins, GG, etc. debut. Similar to the pitching, it's mostly interest at this point, but there's certainly a little optimism for Jenkins in particular.

Wallner has looked locked in after the first couple weeks of spring, so there's a little optimism for me there, as well. If he can put together a full season to match what he did in half seasons in 2023 and 2024, that'd be a huge boost to the lineup. Just like the previous 2 stances, it's mostly interest at this point, but I have a little optimism around him. At this point, Lewis is simply interest to see if he can get his career back on track.

In summary, there's certainly some interesting things, but much more minimal optimism leading into this season.

Well said. I too am interested, not necessarily optimistic. I will watch 100+ games as every baseball season is precious and the Twins are my favorite team. 

[LambchoP]

This season should be not about chasing a wildcard spot, but debuting and assessing our prospects and young talent. They need to figure out which of our vets need to go and how many and which of our young guys are ready for everyday starts. That way in the off-season we can start to actually construct a functional roster.