Minnesota Twins 2026 Season Preview: Find The Fun

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

 

Hired during the offseason to replace Rocco Baldelli as Minnesota Twins manager, Derek Shelton brought with him a new mantra: hunt the good. The idea is that, in a game where failure is relentless, players should make a concerted effort to focus on positives and growth rather than dwelling on negativity and frustration. 

It will be a valuable mindset for fans to adopt here in 2026. Despite proclamations from new ownership figurehead Tom Pohlad that the Twins hope and expect to be competitive this year, the reality is that projection systems forecast them as a sub-.500 team, and betting lines in Vegas have them pegged as one of the worst teams in all of baseball. 

Anything can happen, and there are certainly pathways to being a surprise contender in the lukewarm AL Central, but especially after losing their No. 1 starter at the beginning of camp, the odds of the 2026 Twins being a good team are slim. 

My personal expectation is that they will lose close to 100 games. But even if that comes to fruition, it doesn't mean we as fans can't have a lot of fun this season, or find meaning within the action. (I will remind you that the Twins lost 90+ games in four of the first five years in this website's life. And we were having a ball!) But we'll have to know where to look. 

With that in mind, this season preview special will spend less time focusing on the anticipated sub-par overall results for the 2026 Twins, and more time helping elevate the interesting narratives and stories worth of your attention — many of which will have major implications on the team's ability to resurrect as a contender in 2027. Let's hunt the good.

Expected Opening Day Roster

• Catchers: Ryan Jeffers, Victor Caratini
• Infielders: Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Tristan Gray
• Outfielders: Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Austin Martin, James Outman
• Starting Pitchers: Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel
• Relief Pitchers: Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Anthony Banda, Eric Orze, Kody Funderburk, Zak Kent, Cody Laweryson

Position by Position Roster Preview
Throughout spring training, I gradually rolled out breakdowns of the outlook and depth of each position on the Twins. Below you can find a quick summary of each, and click through for the full story.

Catcher: Entering his free agency walk year, a motivated Jeffers takes over as primary starter while newcomer Caratini joins the timeshare.

First Base: Expect a heavy rotation (with middling upside) that features Bell, Clemens, Caratini, and at some point Eric Wagaman.

Second Base: Keaschall's presence makes it one of the most exciting, high-upside positions. He'll look to evade sophomore regression and improve defensively.

Third Base: Twins need Lewis to at least stay on the field, because they are lacking for immediate contingencies behind him. But we know what he can do.

Shortstop: Searching for a new SS identity in the post-Carlos Correa era, Twins are putting all their eggs in the Lee basket for now.

Left Field: The old guard (Larnach, Martin) look to fend off newcomers (Outman, Alan Roden) and top prospects for playing time.

Center Field: Coming off his best season and a run with Team USA in the WBC, Buxton is locked in and hoping to keep building on his health and production.

Right Field: Wallner figures to play almost everyday, with an underrated track record of production and limited platooning possibilities in right.

Designated Hitter: At least three players on the roster are probably best suited for DH, which is not a great reflection of the club's general defensive aptitude, but sets a stable floor here.

Starting Pitcher: Injuries and question marks plague the veteran rotation core, increasing the urgency for promising younger arms to turn the corner. Lots to like there.

Relief Pitcher: The journey to rebuild the bullpen after completely dismantling it at last year's deadline begins, and it's bound to a bumpy road.

Key Stories of Follow in 2026
Okay, I'll admit that tour through the roster was perhaps not the cheeriest exercise, but we had to keep it real. As we turn our attention to the people and storylines worth following closely this year, we'll shine a spotlight on some legitimately exciting and intriguing areas of focus.

Sorting through a deep and talented pitching group
The Twins are hopeful their wave of emerging arms — acquired largely through high draft picks and bold trades — will carry them back to the contention. There's a lot of promise to be found here. Pitchers like Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews, Simeon Woods Richardson, and maybe even prospects like Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas should have no shortage of runway if healthy. 

In tough competitive times, a baseball season becomes much easier to follow when you're looking forward to watching the starting pitcher almost every day.

The new young core arrives
Whether or not the Twins want to admit it, they're rebuilding. But I can see why they'd bristle at the connotation of the term. 

Selling hope in a rebuild is difficult when the prospects meant to drive it are still many years away, and their impact remains entirely theoretical. Luckily, Minnesota's pipeline is about to start paying off. Three of their top five prospects (Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Prielipp) have already reached Triple-A and a fourth (Kaelen Culpepper) is likely to start there this year. 

It's not always going to be pretty right away, but fans are going to get to start seeing these vaunted talents in 2026 rather than just hearing about them. And in cases like Rodriguez, who dazzled everyone in spring camp before being optioned, it's not hard to envision immediate success and notoriety. 

Read more: Twins Daily 2026 Top 20 Prospects: Recap and Analysis 

Royce Lewis at a career crossroads
Lewis remains closely connected to the last truly great moment in Twins history — that 2023 postseason breakthrough where his home-run swing carried the offense. Lewis' early emergence remains ingrained in our memories, and he's fully focused on tapping back into that form. The stakes are extremely high for him, and for the team. 

Peak Royce elevates this team in a dramatic way. Even a rebound to solidly above-average would make a big difference over last year's 83 OPS+. If we get more of the same, this lineup is going to struggle, and his days in Minnesota are likely numbered. But right now we can dream on much more, even in the wake of a quiet spring.

Meet the new bosses, same as the old bosses?
During the offseason, the Twins implemented new leadership at every level. Derek Shelton replaced Rocco Baldelli as manager. Jeremy Zoll replaced Derek Falvey as head of baseball ops. Tom Pohlad replaced his brother Joe as executive ownership chair.

It remains to be seen how much will actually change, especially since none of these none of these new titleholders seem to represent a remotely radical departure from the previous occupant. But any kind of shakeup is welcome in the aftermath of a total two-year collapse. Let's embrace this opportunity for a fresh start and hope these newly appointed leaders can earn back the shattered confidence of fans.

Behold the greatness of Byron Buxton
This is what's got me most invigorated. Buxton finally turning the corner on injuries and blossoming as a true superstar has been easily the most uplifting aspect of the last two years, and hopefully it will continue to be a resounding source of joy in the season ahead. 

Let's hear from you as we count down the hours until first pitch of the 2026 season. Are you feeling more optimistic about the team's outlook than me? If not, what's going to be compelling you to tune in and follow along this year? It's been a long and weird offseason, but baseball is finally back.

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[Post-Concussive Blues]

I hate to root for losses, but we’d be better off with a very poor start, early sell off, and full on youth movement by early summer than by treading water just below .500.

I am excited to see healthy Buxton again! 

[Jeff K]

Buxton, Keaschall, and the youngsters represent my interest.  I can see Wallner having a good season without having to squint too hard.  And Martin is a good placeholder as 3rd/4th outfielder.  I very much want to see our three talented young outfielders as well as Culpepper.  And to a lesser extent, Roden.

[twinssporto]

Thanks for the uplifting message, I guess. I’m sure Opening Day will be a blast… or at least it would’ve been if they’d bothered to play the actual youngsters. I still can’t wrap my head around how this roster was put together — it feels like they tried to make it confusing on purpose.

Honestly, my entertainment this season might just be watching how fast this whole thing gets scrapped in favor of the guys over in St. Paul. At this point, that’s the real show.

Maybe we should start an over/under pool for Outman, Larnach, and the rest.

Thirty games? Twenty?

I’m tempted to take the under just for the comedy value.

[Doctor Wu]

Gray instead of Arcia as the backup shortstop? 

[big dog]

I'm looking forward to more stolen bases. Hopefully a lot more stolen bases.

[MinnInPa]

giggest concern to me ....no closer?? ..and Topa ..why why why all he does is get shelled

[thelanges5]

Shelton told the team to “hunt the good” every day. We, as fans, will need to do the same. There will be some good individual and team performances this year. Let’s see what we’ve got. 

[JD-TWINS]

23 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

Gray instead of Arcia as the backup shortstop? 

I was also surprised by this choice/assumption

A month ago I was pulling for Gray due to potential upside ….. Arcia went 3-4 the other day and that bumped up his average to above .270 for the Spring in not very many AB’s. He seems to be the right starting point. Gray, probably a similar risk for downside possibilities.

[Nshore]

And now a word from Ty Cobb:

"Baseball is a red blooded sport for red blooded men. It's no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out. It's a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest!". 

Have a nice season.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

It’s baseball season.  The Twins will likely lose more games than they win.  They will likely frustrate us to no end, offensively, defensively, and every other way possible.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Once in a while we’ll see something really wonderful and it will keep us coming back for more.  No matter what, it will be interesting and most days, there will be another one to play tomorrow.  I’m looking forward to it, no matter what happens.  Let’s go!

[Vanimal46]

The team's record this season will be irrelevant. I'll need a reminder or two throughout the year when we lose in annoying fashion... But I do believe the wins and losses are irrelevant. 

This season is all about finding foundational blocks to rebuild for a more competitive future. Who's gonna be the first reliever to step up? Can Wallner, Lewis, and Lee finally establish themselves as reliable every day players? 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

I don't know what keeps bringing me back every year, but no matter how bad the Twins are, I always come back with a renewed excitement to watch Twins baseball. It might be just plain stupidity, but watching the Twins play baseball never gets old. Go Twins!

[jorgenswest]

Congratulations to Tristan Gray! After years of hard work he is on an opening day roster. In the last 10 years he has played with 14 teams including a stop in Perth, Australia. Make the most of it Tristan.  

[Brandon]

The key word going into 2026 season is VARIANCE.  Normally we have a team with a floor and a short range of likely outcomes. This team has variance.  On offense is Wallner 400 AB with .800 OPS or 550 AB and .950 OPS?  Can Buxton Lewis and Keaschall stay healthy and produce?  Will Bell hit 20 or 30 HR?  Will Lee hit enough at SS despite his resume as a solid hitter through AAA?  in the rotation can Abel and Taj take the next step and be #2/3 starters this year? Can Ober return to form?  Will Zebby stick on his next shot?  In the pen we can be bad to average.  

On this team I can see paths to 90 wins and paths to 90 losses and they are all believable which makes this the season of variance!  Enjoy!

[ScottStahoviak]

The 3 things I’m watching for this year;

1. Will we lose 100 games

2. the return of trade deadline sell off

3. what young players do we see step forward and perform. 

[Linus]

I think you nailed it Nick. Baseball is always more enjoyable when you have decent starting pitching and I believe the Twins have that. Buck is always worth watching and Keaschall is exciting as well. And it’s always interesting to watch young players try to make the jump to the show. I just hope that, once they prove they are ready, the Twins are aggressive about giving them that chance. 

[rdehring]

Thanks for a great message as opening day is upon us.

Like most of you, this can be an exciting season if the Twins get at least a half dozen of these prospects playing at Target Field by August 1 at the latest.  The most enjoyable game I watched this spring was the prospects game against the Phillies last week.  Surprised TD didn't have more coverage of that game as there were several players to be excited about.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

1 hour ago, Permanent Twins Fan said:

I don't know what keeps bringing me back every year, but no matter how bad the Twins are, I always come back with a renewed excitement to watch Twins baseball. It might be just plain stupidity, but watching the Twins play baseball never gets old. Go Twins!

That is indeed the affliction that many of us have.  Maybe I'm just too stupid to know better, but I'm anxious for the season to start!

[LA Vikes Fan]

I agree that this is a high variance team - could win 85-90, could lose 90-100. Nick, you described them well. My one nit is that I think Shelton is much different than Baldelli. Being a baseball manager (or head football coach, CEO, etc.) is about leadership. Leadership is not only about the lineup decisions or pitching changes, etc.; its much more about creating a culture conducive to winning and putting players in the best position to be successful. Some guys get a pat on the back, some get a kick in the ass, some get left alone. You have to create a culture where each individual contributor is put in a position to contribute what they can and celebrated for that contribution regardless of how big or how small, not put people is a position where their flaws are exposed or where they are criticized because they aren't something they lack the skills or temperament to be. I think Shelton understands that much better than Baldelli did and is trying to create a positive, winning culture. Who knows if it will work. We may simply not have enough talent to be successful or may need to define success at 81-81 given our talent level. I do think Shelton could be the "X factor" that allows this team to be better as a whole than the sum of its parts.  

[Whitey333]

Nice article.  It serves as a reminder that we surely don't have much of anything to look forward to.  I will watch as always but it doesn't mean I have to like it, nor does it mean I approve of them.  A very, very strange roster construction.  Rocco was a terrible manager IMO but I think Shelton may be worse.  As the season clogs along and attendance takes another nosedive I fully expect ownership blaming the low payroll on fans not showing up.  It's the Twins way!!

[NYCTK]

I have no expectations for this team, but I am a T-Mobile user and get MLB.TV for free. As a non-Minnesota market individual that means the next 6 months will have me getting home at night, seeing the Twins are playing and being able to watch the last 3 innings. It's not going to be pretty, and there will be far more wins than losses, but I will enjoy seeing some of the Twins play, and some of their opponents as well. 

I love baseball, and I'm happy to have it back on the menu. 

[Brett]

I have reviewed our projected roster and have decided I am most excited about $2 beers.

[amjgt]

I'm not a huge fan of referencing Vegas over/unders when talking about projected wins. Vegas is not setting lines where they think the results will be. They are setting the lines where they think they will get equal money on both sides. 

[LambchoP]

I'm just hoping to see the next wave of young talent get an extended run of playing time. I'm anticipating another sell off at the deadline and I hope we do well with the players we get back, and not acquire more redundant players or positions like LH outfielders!

[amjgt]

5 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

In tough competitive times, a baseball season becomes much easier to follow when you're looking forward to watching the starting pitcher almost every day.

This.

100% this

[ashbury]

50 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

and there will be far more wins than losses

Finally!  Someone willing to speak up with unalloyed optimism!

[goliath]

To quote Carlos Correa - "God help us!"

[HerbieFan]

I'm 58.  I survived the early '80s, the late '90s, the threat of contraction, the early 2010s.  I'm a lifer.  I with they were going to be better.  But there's always a reason to follow....this season, I want definitive answers on Wallner, Lewis, Larnach, Lee, Ober, etc..  I think 2026 will provide those answers, for better or worse.

Second, I wanna see the young guys.  I want to see 60+ games from ERodriquez, Jenkins, Culpepper, etc.

I wanna see 20+ starts from Bradley, Abel, Zebby.  I wanna see Prielipp make 40 appearances out of the 'pen.  I wanna see Festa out of the 'pen in August/September.  I wanna see KRojas get a cup of coffee.

In short, I want a direction for 2027 and moving forward.

 

[NYCTK]

2 hours ago, ashbury said:

Finally!  Someone willing to speak up with unalloyed optimism!

That guy had seemingly had a stroke. Someone check in on him!