Who Deserves the Blame for Another Second-Half Collapse by the Twins?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

For the second consecutive season, the Minnesota Twins are entering September with more questions than answers. There was a point this summer when the Twins looked like a legitimate postseason contender. On July 28, Minnesota was 54-54 and just a half-game out of the American League's final Wild Card spot. General manager Jeremy Zoll publicly stated that the organization intended to be a buyer at the Trade Deadline, and ownership followed through by adding A.J. Minter, Dean Kremer and Jeff Hoffman.

Then August happened. The Twins went 10-17 during the month, dropping to 66-72 heading into September. They remain within striking distance of a crowded Wild Card race, but the margin for error has nearly disappeared.

This is not the first time Minnesota has watched a season go sideways during the second half. That makes it fair to ask a difficult question: Who deserves the blame? The answer isn't one person.

Tom Pohlad

Ownership deserves a significant portion of the blame because the roster's limitations ultimately fall on the people responsible for funding and building it.

To be fair, Pohlad has done something previous ownership groups have been reluctant to do. He has publicly acknowledged that simply being competitive isn't good enough, and he committed to increasing payroll again in 2027. He also approved more than $8 million in prorated salary at this year's Trade Deadline.

That is important progress. But Minnesota still entered the season with too many holes for a team expecting to contend. The bullpen needed significant help. The rotation could have used more depth. The lineup had areas that could have been upgraded. The front office did address the bullpen at the trade deadline, but the additions haven't magically transformed the roster into a postseason-caliber team. It was too little, too late. 

Pohlad can't control what happens on the field. He can control whether the organization has enough resources to build a roster capable of surviving injuries, slumps and the long grind of a 162-game season. For years, Twins fans have been told that the organization wants to contend. Eventually, those words have to be supported by a roster that leaves fewer excuses.

Jeremy Zoll

Zoll deserves blame, too, although this is where things get more complicated. This is his first season truly operating as the person in charge of baseball operations, and there were signs that he understood what the team needed. He identified the bullpen as an area worth improving and followed through at the deadline. The problem is that the Twins' issues were bigger than three additions.

Minnesota entered the stretch run needing everything to go right. Instead, injuries piled up and several important players failed to provide consistent production. Byron Buxton is now back on the injured list with a right hip impingement, his third IL stint of the season. Joe Ryan missed much of the second half with a glute injury, and performed poorly when on the field. 

Zoll deserves credit for being aggressive enough to add talent. But the responsibility of a general manager goes beyond making a few deadline moves. The roster construction matters. When a team falls from .500 and into a 66-72 record in the span of a little more than a month, the front office has to examine whether it built a roster with enough depth and enough impact talent to withstand adversity.

Derek Shelton

Shelton will naturally receive plenty of criticism when a team collapses. Managers always do. There have certainly been decisions worth questioning throughout the season. Bullpen usage, lineup construction and individual matchup decisions will be debated, especially when losses pile up.

But blaming Shelton for everything would be taking the easy way out. A manager can put players in advantageous positions. He cannot make them execute. The Twins have scored 652 runs this season, but they have also allowed 685. Their -33 run differential is a much better representation of their overall performance than their record alone. 

There is a limit to how much a manager can fix with strategy when the roster isn't performing consistently. Shelton deserves scrutiny, but this collapse shouldn't become an excuse to avoid examining the larger organizational problems.

The Players

Ultimately, the players have to accept the largest share of the blame because they are the ones playing the games. That's especially true after a month like August. The Twins didn't simply lose a few close games. They went 8-17, and the club spent much of the month struggling to string together quality performances.

There are some clear players that have fallen short of expectations. Entering the season, ZiPS projected Matt Wallner to be the batter with the second highest fWAR, but he struggled enough (-0.8 fWAR) that Minnesota sent him to Triple-A. Royce Lewis has also had an up-and-down year (literally and figuratively). He is only 0.2 fWAR from hitting his ZiPS projection, but has a below average wRC+ and has posted a .633 OPS over his last  23 games. 

Pablo Lopez and his 2.6 projected fWAR never made a pitch this season. Bailey Ober was expected to have the third highest fWAR among starters (2.0 fWAR), but has struggled with velocity and sits at 1.2 fWAR. Simeon Woods Richardson was the biggest disappointment among starters. He was projected at a 1.8 fWAR and left the Twins with a -0.4 fWAR.  

Too many players have taken turns disappearing from games offensively. Too many pitchers have struggled to string together quality outings. Too many mistakes have turned manageable games into losses. At some point, the players have to be accountable for that.

The Real Answer

So, who deserves the blame? Probably everyone.

Pohlad deserves blame for an organization that still hasn't provided enough financial resources to build a deep, star-powered roster. Zoll deserves blame for a roster construction that has exposed too many weaknesses and hasn't produced enough impact talent at the major-league level. Shelton deserves blame for the decisions that haven't worked during the team's collapse. And the players deserve the most immediate blame because they are the ones who have failed to consistently execute.

But this is bigger than one bad month. The Twins are a below .500 team. A postseason berth remains mathematically possible, but Minnesota has spent another season turning September into an exercise in scoreboard watching and hoping.

That's the part that should concern the organization most. When the same organization keeps finding itself asking what went wrong after another promising season fades away, the answer probably isn't sitting in one office, one dugout or one locker.

It's the entire structure. The Twins have spent plenty of time talking about building a sustainable contender. Now they have to prove they know how to actually do it.

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Who deserves the most blame? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[HrbieFan]

How about injuries and our last GMs fire sale? Give this team a healthy Bux, Joe Ryan and Pablo, we are 7+ games over .500 

[mikelink45]

I take Shelton off the list.  He has done as well as anyone would with what he has - injuries to Buxton are the norm, Wallner and Lewis collapsing in the first half is not on him.  Having a roster and minor league cupboard of lefthanded OF was not his creation.

Spending was too little too late.  Living with a poor BP was not Shelton's fault.  Having Rogers in the pen all season is a symptom of how bare the shelf is.  He is past productive but who can replace him. 

Having Gray play SS half the year was another part of poor roster construction since Kreidler had to be in the OF.

Not moving on from Jeffers and Ryan was not his choice.  

Zoll number one, Pohlad number two in the pecking order.

The players?  Maybe we all over rate them. 

[rv78]

You left out the person ultimately responsible.... Derek Falvey. Yes, Pohlad and Zoll followed in his footsteps without getting out of the manure. Kremer, Minter, Hoffman are NOT going big, so you can take Tom's theory of "going big or go home" as an indication of him not knowing what qualifies as "going big". It was, an attempt to try to make it look like they were serious about contending. All it proved to me, was that they weren't. 

[Glorybound]

The lack of additions during the off season spoke volumes as to what to expect this season. The bullpen they started the season with wasn’t good enough for double A. Taking Morris out of the rotation has left them one more starter short as injuries have piled up. Taking a shot at Kremer was worth a chance but lottery tickets like him seldom are enough band aid enough to stop the bleeding. He hasn’t been able to go deep enough in games to say it worked out.

[h2oface]

Collectively, the players just don’t have what it takes. The whole team in collective performances. Bonehead errors at the plate watching meat for third strikes, horrible base running mental farts, throwing to the wrong place from the outfield and infield, choking on the mound and excessive walks, especially in the late innings…… Blame the roster composition if you like, but the players blew so many games they had won, anyway, even with this roster, it is just pathetic. Fun to watch? I guess. But I don’t appreciate the ways they find to choke so often. 

[TroyVang]

Roster construction. Whomever you want to put that of the feet of (ownership, GM, previous GM), that's my answer. 

Terrible bullpen construction, no real partner for Buxton, Too much reliance on best-case scenario for everything.

At the end of the day, this team wasn't built to be good. When they started turning in above average performances, that sent everyone scrambling.

[SarasotaBill]

Delusional owner, GM, and fans for thinking 2026 was a year to buy assets instead of selling.

Lopez and Abel were out.

Ryan had arm issues.

Buxton was limping.

Prielipp and Rojas are innings limited.

Below 500.

Yea - this seems like a good year to make a run for the last wild card.

[Patzky]

5 minutes ago, h2oface said:

Collectively, the players just don’t have what it takes. The whole team in collective performances. Bonehead errors at the plate watching meat for third strikes, horrible base running mental farts, throwing to the wrong place from the outfield, choking on the mound and excessive walks, especially in the late innings…… Blame the roster composition if you like, but the players blew so many games they had won, it is just pathetic. Fun to watch? I guess. But I don’t appreciate the way they coke so often. 

Last night in a microcosm. No hitting til there was. Then there wasn't again. Suspect pitching from the starter and Funderburk. Nance should never have come out for a second inning, if not for incompetent at bats from Clemens, Culpepper, Lewis and others. Using a position player then not using him, then never using a guy who's on the bench, why? All fairness Shelton probably thought we had the game won in the eighth.  Til we didn't.

[DJL44]

2-4 of those losses in the August collapse is Joe Ryan being injured. 

[Nashvilletwin]

First, let’s just be happy for a moment that the team is playing meaningful baseball into September.  Nobody really had that on their bingo card (certainly once Lopez went down in ST) and, if they say they did, they’re either lying or are just Pollyanna fans.

So, though a combination of the team outperforming (for which credit can be spread among JZ, the players, coaches and TP) and pretty much most of the AL stinking up the joint, we should be grateful for how the season has went.

Having said that, another frustrating season will end up on the books.  But that was to be expected. So the more legitimate question that should be asked is not “who is to be blamed for the 2nd half collapse”, but, rather, “who will be blamed for not being smart and/or courageous enough to not make the tough choices in ‘26 to better position this team to win in ‘27 and beyond”?

When this identical article is posted next September 1 (and we will be lucky if the team plays well enough that it can be), we should look back on the decisions made this season to place the blame.  There are definitely reasons for optimism and big steps were taken by the FO, coaching staff and players this season to give legitimate cause for hope.  However, many chances to invest were simply cast aside, sadly. 

[Eris]

An additional issue with roster construction is that in several positions there was a huge  fall off in capability of the starter and the injury replacement. This is mostly seen at CF but applies for many positions. Also, before Culpepper there was not acceptable defense at SS and there is still inadequate/inconsistent production at 1B and poor defense in LF and RF. Even with a healthy Buxton CF defense was below league average. 
 

 

[Peter]

Full healthy team twins are the best in MLB!!! Kids aren’t ready for prime time yet! Future looks bright as twins are going to win multiple division championships and World Series!! 

[HarmonK03]

It's the entire structure. The Twins have spent plenty of time talking about building a sustainable contender. Now they have to prove they know how to actually do it.

This is where Pohlad needs to prove himself going forward, can he identify the right team to lead the process of building a sustainable contender.  I don't believe Zoll is that person, rostering Gray and Jackson was the final proof of this.  So can he hire someone and let them do their job and give them the reasonable resources necessary.

That is what I will be looking for this offseason so we can hopefully get off this treadmill of mediocrity. 

[Whitey333]

I agree that Zoll and Pohlad are mostly to blame. Shelton has been an upgrade from Rocco.  Roster construction has been very confusing. I do like many of the young players.  Just let them keep playing even if they are struggling.  Reducing the cant miss prospects into part time platoon status would be foolish and warrant firings.

[Saxophone Joe]

Technically speaking, we were five games under .500 (38-43) when the second half started. We've basically played .500 ball since. Let's chill on the "collapse" talk. Disappointing, frustrating, indeed. But no one around MLB is going, Geez, what the heck happened to the Twins in the second half this season? They were really cooking! 

[Saxophone Joe]

30 minutes ago, h2oface said:

Collectively, the players just don’t have what it takes. The whole team in collective performances. Bonehead errors at the plate watching meat for third strikes, horrible base running mental farts, throwing to the wrong place from the outfield and infield, choking on the mound and excessive walks, especially in the late innings…… Blame the roster composition if you like, but the players blew so many games they had won, anyway, even with this roster, it is just pathetic. Fun to watch? I guess. But I don’t appreciate the ways they find to choke so often. 

This x100. Major League players on this team have come up short in big moments so many times since July. Like, remember the baserunning fiasco in Chicago? Down 4, chance to have the bases loaded, no outs in the 9th. That was a game some teams find a way to come from behind to win.

[srlarson]

This team at best was going to be a .500 team......so I think they are what they are....they are not going to spend money with next season in doubt.  Looking back last years sell off went to deep....what if this team still had Varland at the back of the pen......We have some young pitchers w promise (Bradley, Mathews, Prelipp), some young position players....finish out the year trying to get to .500....see what happens w 27 season.....and gear up for 28.........

[Whitey333]

Need to continue develop younger players.  I am a big backer of Larnach but its time to move on.  We have too many similar players. Its obvious the Twins are done with Wallner.  Lots of opportunities for trades.  Its time to move on from Buxton.  He has become a liability in his play and in his availability. 

[TheLeviathan]

The rather simple answer is regression.  Their run differential has, from day 1 of this season essentially, told us exactly what they are: a sub .500 team.  

This team was the highest scoring team in the AL all the way into the trade deadline.  However, that stat was driven by a ridiculously high BA with RISP.  It was bound to have regression and that's exactly what we've seen.  Couple that with regression from Clemens, Larnach, and Jeffers and you have the recipe to be as bad offensively as they were in August.

Buxton's health regressed - we had an MVP level bat carrying the offense for 3 months but past history tells us we can't plan on that being sustainable.

Several relievers who popped up and were having pretty good years: Morris was lights out May-July and has had a rough few months.  Gomez has struggled.  Adams had a great July..back to not great in August.

Water found its level.  Every single gauge you would normally use to measure a team was screaming that this team just wasn't very good and any improvement in the W/L column was being driven by unsustainable components.

[bean5302]

There was no collapse. The Twins were under .500 at the break.

[nicksaviking]

Obviously it's Tom Pohald with an assist from local media.

Because....collapse?? This team has been floating around with this similar record ALL SEASON LONG.

So Tom is responsible for pushing this false narrative that this team was at any point a contender this year, and this inevitable collapse would instead be better described as treading-water.

[DJL44]

21 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

Need to continue develop younger players.  I am a big backer of Larnach but its time to move on.  We have too many similar players. Its obvious the Twins are done with Wallner.  Lots of opportunities for trades.  

Too bad other teams aren’t interested in poor defense platoon outfielders

[HeresWaldo]

Maybe I'm being overly generous, but I really can't find any way to put this on the players. As I watch the Marte drama play out in AZ, I find it really striking how hard this Twins team works. Byron Buxton can barely stand up, needs surgery, and is still pushing himself because he wants to lead by example and show what work ethic looks like. Pablo López has been around all year, including road trips, even though he's recovering from an injury and can't play. It sucks that they're both missing time, but I don't blame anyone for getting hurt, and I think there's a real argument this is one of the hardest-working clubhouses in baseball.

I put the blame 90% on ownership for not providing the needed resources and 10% on the front office for not having any sort of bold vision to use their limited resources aggressively.

[Woof Bronzer]

55 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

2-4 of those losses in the August collapse is Joe Ryan being injured. 

The guy who's hurt and melts down every second half and recently tied an MLB record for HRs given up in a game?

It's just so unfortunate that the Twins are the only team impacted by pitching injuries.  

[Linus]

I rarely blame the players. I believe that to make it to the show you have to be competitive and give maximum effort. If you aren’t performing well enough it’s the job of the FO to find better players. The Twins have performed pretty much as I expected- I guess it depends on how much you listen to Tom Pohlad. 

[Craig Arko]

Never saw much value in the blame game. It doesn’t actually solve anything.

[Woof Bronzer]

He also approved more than $8 million in prorated salary at this year's Trade Deadline.

No way, a whole $8 million?  That's 80% of what the team is paying Carlos Correa to play for another team!  What a kind and generous overlord, raising our payroll from 22nd in the league to...22nd in the league!  If he would have contributed only $38 million more we'd pull even with the large market Kansas City Royals.  

Before the season Tommy said he wanted to be judged not on payroll, but on wins and losses.  In accordance with his wishes, he should be judged for this season.  It will be interesting to see how he spins this, and how many fans just lap it up and refuse to believe the team's CEO has any accountability for the team's performance.

[old nurse]

The whole season seems to be weeks of bad, weeks of good, always on the cusp of the playoff. When they get to the edge of being in the playoffs, they spin down Garry Gaetti’s line holds true. 

[Woof Bronzer]

1 minute ago, Craig Arko said:

Never saw much value in the blame game. It doesn’t actually solve anything.

Can't disagree more.  If a business isn't meeting its goals it is absolutely worth figuring out what is going wrong.  How can you fix something if you don't diagnose the problem?