The Root Cause of This Year's Collapse Points to the Challenge Ahead for Twins

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The notion of a successful season for the 2026 Minnesota Twins was essentially put to rest on the very first day of spring training. That ambitious notion rested upon the idea that Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton — the three former All-Stars whom the Twins held onto through last year's deadline firesale — would lead the way for an upstart group capable of taking a mediocre division by surprise. 

It was, honestly, not a ridiculous concept. But when López went down with a season-ending injury during the first full-squad workout in February, it lost plausibility. A fringe team with a bottom-tier payroll could not afford to get zero contribution from its best, most expensive player. Just doesn't work, as much as no one wanted to admit it at the time.

In fairness, the rest of that plan worked out quite well, during the first half at least. Ryan and Buxton were both All-Stars for a second straight year, and they played a big role in keeping the Twins relevant. At the end of August, when Minnesota briefly surfaced above .500 and committed to buying at the deadline, Ryan and Buxton were tied for the team lead in fWAR (2.6).

But from that point forward, they were sub-replacement level. The two biggest stars on the Twins turned into two of their worst players, either unavailable or ineffective throughout the second half. Combine that with the continuing absence of López, and it really tells the whole story of this latest collapse. It is, unfortunately, a familiar story. 

Second-half declines, with injuries playing a factor, have become the norm for both Ryan and Buxton. The latter will be coming off a major hip surgery at age 33 next season, and the former has essentially never put together a complete season. López carries his own set of question marks as he makes his return from Tommy John. I'm bullish on him, but you can never take for granted immediate success coming off reconstructive elbow surgery.

At their best, these three veteran players are certainly capable of forming the core of a contending team. You almost have no choice but to hope they can. But you also can't exactly count on it. And that's where the real challenge emerges for the Twins and their front office. 

Hope for the Best, Build for Something Less

The Twins shouldn't approach this offseason trying to replace López, Ryan or Buxton. Nor should they operate under the assumption that those three will collectively provide a full season of star-level production.

They need to build a roster capable of surviving when they don't.

It's not some totally unique situation in this game of attrition. Injuries happen to every team. Good players slump. Pitchers wear down. The problem is not experiencing those things, but constructing a roster where experiencing them effectively ends your season. And that's what happened in 2026.

When Buxton stopped producing, there wasn't another established middle-of-the-order force ready to pick up the slack. When Ryan faltered, the rotation suddenly lacked the frontline presence it had already been missing without López. The Twins had some impressive young players emerge, but asking them to immediately become the stars carrying a contender is a different proposition altogether.

That becomes especially relevant when looking at the next wave.

Luke Keaschall looks like a foundational player. Taj Bradley and Connor Prielipp established themselves as legitimate rotation building blocks. Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kaelen Culpepper finally reached the majors and gave us reasons to dream on what's ahead.

It's exactly what the Twins spent the past year waiting for. Now that those players are here, the temptation will be to view their arrival as the offseason upgrade. It can't be.

The Kids Can't Be the Entire Plan

There is tremendous upside in this young core, perhaps more than we've seen in Minnesota for quite some time. There is also plenty of uncertainty.

Jenkins and Rodriguez have barely experienced the major leagues. Culpepper has fewer than 150 plate appearances. Prielipp just completed by far the largest workload of his professional career. Even Keaschall, as impressive as he's been, has only two big-league seasons under his belt.

Some of these players will take steps forward next year. Some probably won't. That's how young players work.

The Twins should be excited about having Jenkins and Rodriguez in their Opening Day lineup. They shouldn't need either one to immediately become a three- or four-win player for the offense to work. They should be thrilled to have Bradley and Prielipp behind López and Ryan. They shouldn't be sunk if one of those veterans misses time or struggles again.

That's the difference between having upside and having depth. Between hoping to contend and planning to contend. The latter requires investment.

Raise the Floor

Last offseason, there was at least some justification for restraint. The Twins were coming off an organizational reset. They had just traded away a huge portion of the roster. Several of their best prospects weren't quite ready yet. It made some sense to spend 2026 figuring out what they had and identifying who could be part of the next competitive team.

Well, now we know a lot more. Bradley is part of it. Prielipp is part of it. Keaschall is part of it. Kody Clemens earned his way into that conversation. Jenkins, Rodriguez and Culpepper are here. López is coming back. The evaluation year is over.

That doesn't mean the Twins should abandon their young players or block their paths with expensive veterans. Quite the opposite. The goal should be to surround them with enough established talent that their development doesn't carry the entire weight of the season.

The lineup is an obvious place to start. Josh Bell and Ryan Jeffers, two of this year's most productive hitters, are headed to free agency. Royce Lewis' future with the organization is uncertain at best. Buxton's health can't be assumed. There is room — and need — for a legitimate veteran bat who can occupy a prominent spot in the order without requiring everything to break right around him.

The bullpen is another clear need. Jeff Hoffman gives them one potentially dominant late-inning arm, assuming his season-ending forearm issue proves minor, but the Twins cannot repeat last winter's approach of assembling a relief corps largely out of hope and spare parts. Andrew Morris and Yoendrys Gómez, meant to be proof-of-concept for building on the fly, demonstrated exactly how quickly seemingly reliable relievers can turn unreliable.

The Twins don't need to construct a superteam, but they need to eliminate the fragility that ultimately doomed the 2026 Twins.

Their path to contention depended on their few established stars remaining stars, their inexpensive supporting cast exceeding expectations, and enough young players arriving quickly enough to fill the gaps. For much of the summer, an impressive number of those things happened. Then a couple stopped happening, and the entire operation fell apart.

No More Waiting for Everything to Go Right

There will be plenty of optimism surrounding the Twins this offseason, and I think much of it is justified. This is a much more interesting roster than the one they carried into spring training. The rotation has real depth and upside. The organization's best position-player prospects have arrived. Several unexpected contributors established themselves. But the front office can't mistake interesting for complete.

Maybe López comes back looking like an ace. Maybe Ryan finally carries his first-half form through September. Maybe Buxton's hip surgery restores the dynamic player we saw early this year. Maybe Jenkins or Rodriguez explodes onto the scene and becomes an immediate star.

While any of those developments would dramatically raise the Twins' ceiling, none should be prerequisites for having a good baseball team. And that's the challenge this offseason: build a roster sturdy enough that its best-case scenario isn't also its only path to contention.

The Twins spent 2026 finding out which pieces of their next core they could trust. In 2027, it's time to give those pieces enough support that they don't have to trust everything else to go right.

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[Jeff K]

I would love to see the Twins find a way to bring in a difference making first baseman.

[Whitey333]

Very good article.  Well thought out!  After more than 10 years of waiting and hoping Buxton might grace us with his presence and actually play and produce its time to stop considering him part of this core.  He is well past that.  Like it or not Buck has been a big part of the reason the team doesnt contend.

 

[AceBee]

Year in and year out..Cle still fought and even earned a first round bye. MIL and TB were the best teams. Payroll is one part of the story but surely we are lacking something else be competitive on a consistent basis

[rv78]

I did not confirm this but another poster said the Twins went 38-43 in their first 81 games and 39-42 in their 2nd 81 games. If that is true there was NO collapse. Maybe everyone here at TD should stop saying there was. The Twins didn't win any more games with Buxton and Ryan contributing at a high level anymore than when they didn't. I see difference makers in the 6 guys you named, Bradley, Prielipp, Keaschall, Culpepper, Jenkins, ERod. The 2 biggest improvements they can make now is: 1.Get rid of the dead wood that continues to hold this team back and 2.Quit dumpster diving for the pieces they need. 

[offensive_loons_fan]

5 minutes ago, rv78 said:

I did not confirm this but another poster said the Twins went 38-43 in their first 81 games and 39-42 in their 2nd 81 games. If that is true there was NO collapse. Maybe everyone here at TD should stop saying there was. The Twins didn't win any more games with Buxton and Ryan contributing at a high level anymore than when they didn't. I see difference makers in the 6 guys you named, Bradley, Prielipp, Keaschall, Culpepper, Jenkins, ERod. The 2 biggest improvements they can make now is: 1.Get rid of the dead wood that continues to hold this team back and 2.Quit dumpster diving for the pieces they need. 

I think this is taking the "first half/second half" too literally. Maybe there wasn't a collapse on a strict 81/81 split but they were inarguably doo doo down the stretch.

[chinmusic]

22 minutes ago, AceBee said:

surely we are lacking something else be competitive on a consistent basis

One of those things would be upgrading defensively.

[MackMan]

8 minutes ago, rv78 said:

I did not confirm this but another poster said the Twins went 38-43 in their first 81 games and 39-42 in their 2nd 81 games. If that is true there was NO collapse. Maybe everyone here at TD should stop saying there was. The Twins didn't win anymore games with Buxton and Ryan contributing at a high level any more than when they didn't. I see difference makers in the 6 guys you named, Bradley, Prielipp, Keaschall, Culpepper, Jenkins, ERod. The 2 biggest improvements they can make now is: 1.Get rid of the dead wood that continues to hold this team back and 2.Quit dumpster diving for the pieces they need. 

Just running through Baseball Reference, I was able to confirm the first 81 and the 2nd 81. I agree that there was no collapse. A collapse would have to be something akin to the 2024 season when the wagon fell off a cliff come September. A few things that need to be addressed:

1. Lewis, Wallner, and Larnach

The reason these players need to be addressed is that they are on the 40 man, not producing as they should, and creating a log jam at their respective positions. As for Larnach, I would be more inclined to keep him as he was showing flashes of success this past season prior to cooling down and then getting the injury bug. I would say he had is best season offensively and defensively for the Twins. 

Wallner: Needs to be non-tendered or signed to a Minor league contract with a spring training invite. He showed who he was the past 2 seasons. There wasn't a team that feared him. They knew to through the baseball up above the zone because he was a chaser. 

Lewis: Has to figure it out at the plate. Otherwise he needs to be non-tendered. I know. The Twins are afraid of a Big Papi thing happening again where they let a player go and he turns in a HOF career with another team. But ultimately Lewis has shown who he is and what he's capable of. Sporadic success mixed with season long ineptitude.

2. Levine and Falvey missed on their 1st round draft picks ultimately hamstinging our organization.

I know in baseball that there is never a "sure thing" when it comes to drafting. But as a organization that doesn't want to spend money, they need to hit on a lot of their picks. Of their 8 first round picks that they did, only 1 (Can't count Jenkins or Culpepper as its way to early) have really done anything. Now I know Lewis is part of that but he hasn't really done anything outside of a very strong 2023 year when the Twins needed his electricity and ability to hit in the clutch. But this list of draft picks that include Lewis, Larnach, Cavaco, Sabato, Petty, Lee, Jenkins, Culpepper, and DeBarge, 3 of them are still green, 4 have shown who they are, 1 was traded almost immediately, and the other is playing Indy ball. The only solid player ATM is Lee. 

3. We need to acknowledge that some of our starters may end up being better out of the bullpen.

We need to look at potentially moving a few of our rotation guys to the bullpen because their services might better suited for that. For example, I personally thought Ober looks decent out their coming out of the 'pen. It was definitely different seeing a soft-tossing righty coming out of the pen to deliver a 3 inning save. Kind of reminded me of when we had Sergio Romo with his slow, slower, and REALLY slow pitches. Also, not to mention, these pitchers could make spot starts or opener starts if need be. Kind of creates more flexibility while being able to maintain some stability in the bullpen. The real issue is figuring out who is going to be better out of the pen and who we can send packing. 

[Shaded99]

Look at the splits: the Twins went 59–55 (.518) against the American League but just 18–30 (.375) against the National League. If they'd played interleague games at their AL pace, they'd have gone about 25–23 and finished 84–78 instead of 77–85. That's the same record as the White Sox, who took the last Wild Card spot. We'd have lost the tiebreaker (5–8 head-to-head), but we'd have been playing meaningful games on the last day instead of being eliminated September 20. With the payroll cuts over the last couple of years, I have to wonder whether advance scouting of NL teams got scaled back or cut entirely. Getting swept by the Reds, Dodgers, Phillies, Pirates, and Padres looks like a team that didn't know its opponents.

 

[Riverbrian]

Injuries are never an excuse because injuries occur every single season for all 30 teams. 

There is simply no excuse for not having sufficient competitive depth in place to prepare for something that is going to happen. 

We all know that injuries are going to change context multiple times throughout the season. We all know that some players will go Vlad Jr or Cal Raleigh on you. 

Treat each 26 man spot as gold. 

 

 

[rdehring]

Perhaps best written piece I have read all year.  And the most reasonable.  Thanks, Nick!

[laloesch]

The Twins have a number of issues.  Losing Lopez for the season did not help, but the continued lack luster play from Lewis did not help matters either.  Buxton not being 100% again for a season also did not help.  The Twins need to stop relying on Buxton as the foundation stone for this offense.  He just can't stay healthy.

Josh Bell just does not cut it as the fulltime 1st basemen, and I doubt he's brought back.  I don't think moving Lewis to 1st is the answer either, but I think the Twins will try to get him to stick at 1st. 

This team needs to spend some money at that position.  The rest of the infield (outside of catcher) will take care of itself.  Culpepper at short or 2nd, Lee at 3rd, and eventually Marek Houston at short.  That's a solid infield beyond the glaring hole at 1st.  The outfield will take care of itself.  Erod in LF, Jenkins in Center (eventually), Buxton in RF (eventually).  Roden 4th outfielder.  Keaschall at DH / 4th/5th outfielder. 

Catcher is a question mark.  Ryan Jeffers is almost assuredly gone (thought the Twins should do everything they can to keep him around for at least 3 or 4 more seasons in my opinion).  That leaves them with Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson.

 

[Czelgert]

The Twins need to create some redundancies in their lineup so they’re not one Buxton injury from going over a cliff.  They need to address C, 1B, and another bat that can play OF/DH when Buck inevitably goes down again.

Personally, I’m pessimistic already because they wasted a roster spot for about 1/3 of the season with a backup C who got like 15 ABs.  The only thing I can fathom is they already locked into Jackson to be on the big league roster next year for reasons unapparent.  The Twins didn’t think him good enough to play this year but didn’t want to lose him for next year.  Makes a lot of sense…

[ewen21]

1 hour ago, Whitey333 said:

Very good article.  Well thought out!  After more than 10 years of waiting and hoping Buxton might grace us with his presence and actually play and produce its time to stop considering him part of this core.  He is well past that.  Like it or not Buck has been a big part of the reason the team doesnt contend.

 

I am not meaning to drag you into this, but I will double down and say that he is a big problem for this organization as far as I am concerned.  A REAL big one and I do not have a real answer for it because he has that no trade clause.  

Buxton has been exalted as "the face of the franchise" and has been called "one of the best in the game" and all other such nonsense.  All I have to say to that is 862 hits in 12 seasons.  Good morning, good afternoon, good night.  The Twins and this fanbase really needs to pour cold water on this need to exalt a particular player in the future.  It is not healthy for any team to put a player on a lofty perch where they are beyond reproach.  This doesn't make for a good team culture.

 

That being said, if Lopez and Ryan are to be relied upon to lift us up then we have learned nothing with regard to assessing pitching.  I am more concerned with Lopez's personal wellbeing at this point let alone what level he will pitch at in 2027.  He had his second TJ and missed an entire season.  What can we realistically expect from ANYONE in that position?   Someone please tell me something 

 

And Ryan was a terrible disappointment.  The fact is, this guy has proven to us that he is unable to pitch a full season of quality baseball.  The wheels end up falling off the wagon for whatever reason.  I do not even care about the WHY at this point.  There is no WHY.  He doesn't doesn't seem built for the long haul.  Maybe we need to move him for some younger talent to a team that is win now and has a better plan for this guy.

[LastOnePicked]

52 minutes ago, Shaded99 said:

With the payroll cuts over the last couple of years, I have to wonder whether advance scouting of NL teams got scaled back or cut entirely. Getting swept by the Reds, Dodgers, Phillies, Pirates, and Padres looks like a team that didn't know its opponents.

This is a fascinating point and speculation. Shaded99 should be changed to SherlockHolmes99.

[Andy MacPhail]

The cause of coming short this season is as always running out of gas due to lack of quality depth, The main reason we didn't have quality depth was the same, poor player evaluation & philosophy. Poor player evaluation results in poor drafting, misplacing players defensively & poor trades, Hanging onto players that should be traded, having a hugh glut at LH hitting OFers & short everywhere else, trading players that shouldn't be, promoting & playing players that shouldn't be & sitting players that need a chance. There are too many 1st round draftee that fizzle out. For us to become better we need to become like the Brewers, not NYY.

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

The Root cause of this season, is the same as the last few, Hoping the core guys stay healthy, hoping your younger/older (Larnach/Wallner/Lewis/Martin/Jeffers/Roden/Kriedler/Gray) guys become more than league average, and terrible defense. 

The injured guys got injured, younger/older guys you could say got better, but not by much, defensive was terrible until the moved guys around and it become adequate? 

They need to get rid of any of the guys that have been around for the last three years if possible and they ones they can't expect less from them and move them down the pecking order. 

If they can't trade Ryan, then they need to think of him as their 4th starter, Go get somebody to pitch after (or before) Bradley, and before Prielipp, that way they aren't relying on a guy that has proven to be somebody to not rely on. 

If they can't trade Buxton (and I think they can't or won't) then be honest with him and tell him, because you can't stay healthy we need 4 legit starting Outfielders and we need to play them, so they will be days you aren't playing, not to keep you healthy but to make sure we have guys ready to go when you aren't healthy. 

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Jeff K said:

I would love to see the Twins find a way to bring in a difference making first baseman.

It's clearly the position of greatest need, great opportunity. Royce hitting a homer in the last game of the season doesn't alter how badly he slumped down the stretch, and despite a hot streak after his demotion really wasn't enough of a factor at the plate. (I do think he improved defensively at 1B and could be quite good there...but you need a hitter there as well) Unfortunately, the FA market looks dire at 1B. Will be very interested to see if a trade is possible.

I hope they don't give up on Jeffers as an option to invest in...but it is notable that he too was awful in Sept. But if he goes, the ceiling really tumbles at catcher and floor as well, unless Lackey is ready a heck of a lot faster than anyone reasonably expects.

Investing in the bullpen makes a lot of sense. Either bring back Minter or go get one of several proven LHP options to be a lead guy in the bullpen, not a mop-up. (there's several serious options in the FA class if they can't reach a deal that makes sense with Minter) Go out and get a guy like Abreu to firm up your RH options and let someone like Morris develop as a reliever and take on higher leverage innings as he proves capable of them, rather than out of desperation. Be less reliant on Gomez knowing where the ball is going at all times. Would I feel pretty good about a bullpen of Hoffman, Minter, Abreu, Morris, Gomez, Sands, and Funderburk with 1 position open to competition? I certainly would like it a lot better than what we started with in 2026.

The rotation is an interesting challenge. Having Pablo back should help quite a bit, but there's certainly risk coming off a significant surgery. But the real issue is how to manage depth if/when a starter goes down injured. We're thinner in AAA depth now and as impressive as Mick Abel was, he's coming off a significant injury as well and betting that he or Pablo won't miss any time is unrealistic. Ryan frequently misses time. Even if guys miss serious injuries, there's going to be ones who will need to miss a couple of weeks with an pull, strain, or blister. The talent levels are intriguing, and would I like a rotation of Bradley, Lopez, Ryan, Abel, and Kremer? Sure would. But managing through when someone gets dinged is complicated. Who has options left besides Rojas? (I still think Ryan might get dealt, too)

DH is a spot where they could invest in to shore up the offense, but...I'm not sure I want them to. I like the idea of Buxton, Jenkins, Keaschall, and Rodriguez as the 4 primary options in the OF and the odd man out DHing. That takes wear off Buxton, keeps Keaschall's bat in the lineup, etc. And frankly if we're not going to play the prospects then what are we doing here? That's where some of the upside has to come.

[LastOnePicked]

Excellent article, Nick. Two things, though ...

1) "It was, honestly, not a ridiculous concept." 

Honestly though, it was a ridiculous concept. Lopez has an injury history and had already missed a huge chunk of 2025. The whole point of bringing him back at the end of last year was to show him off to potential offseason suitors. I'm almost certain that's what Falvey had in mind.

If your entire offseason plan is derailed on the very first pitch of a Spring Training scrimmage, then your plan was ridiculous.

2) "Last offseason, there was at least some justification for restraint. The Twins were coming off an organizational reset."

I can't find a single justification not have put some investment into the rotation and the bullpen. The Pohlads had no trouble putting in the footwork to find "investment partners" to buy out their debt. But somehow they didn't have a spare minute to sketch out a budget for a few modest additions? I don't buy it.

This team does need an organizational reset. It just hasn't happened yet. A new brain trust is needed immediately, so that they're not caught flat-footed at the end of the lockout.

[TheLeviathan]

I'm not sure how to feel about this article, in some ways I agree....the offense for a long stretch of this season was being carried by Buxton and likewise with the rotation and Ryan.  But all good teams rely on their star players to help carry large parts of the load and injuries happen to everyone.  Are these three vets particularly prone to face-planting?  Sure, but if they are going to be your largest investments than you are always going to subject yourself to their downsides.  Maybe, rather than concentrate on the floor of the 40 man roster, we focus on changing the ceiling?

But let's ride with the thesis presented....how do they lift up this floor?  Are they signing free agents?  Are they trading young assets for veterans?  I can't help but feel, after reading this article, that the conclusions drawn at the end aren't all that different than the ones that lead us down this path in the first place: safe, middling, half measured.

I'd suggest what got the Twins here again is what has continually got them here: a lack of vision and willingness to swing boldly.  I didn't read anything here that sounds any different.

[Eris]

The root cause of the Twins failures is lack of talent. This can be seen from the number of “regulars “ who have “earned “ a spot on next years roster. Lee, Keaschall, Clemens, Buxton , and Ryan (who is expected to depart via free agency). The short comings of Larnach, Wallner, Lewis, Martin, Bell, Caratini and even Buxton were known heading into the season and the strategy was to hope these guys would figure it out or in Buxton’s case remain healthy. 
 

For next season it looks like the Twins will have 3 position players with rookie eligibility. (Jenkins, Culpepper, and Rodriguez). I can’t remember the last time this happened.  I think based to their performance since being called up, Culpepper and Jenkins will be in the running for Rookie of the Year. That should be exciting. 

[Major League Ready]

There was no collapse.  This team ended up right where they were expected to be.  

looking at 2027, they have already replaced 3B / SS (Lee / Culpepper) and 3 OF positions with Keaschall / Jenkins, and Rodriguez.  1B / 2B and Catcher need to be addressed.  Naylor or Arraez?  Naylor had a down year in 2026 but he might be a good bounce back candidate.  Arraez could play some at both positions.  Arraez and Clemmens might fit well on the same roster.  Ty France had a big year.  Fill 1B with one of these guys and spend some money on the BP.  That would substantially change this team's trajectory.

 

[Original_JB]

I'm not expecting anything of $$$ to be happening until the new bargaining agreement is reached. Pohlad will sit on his hands until they have firm, 'going forward' numbers, restrictions, and limits in hand; everything will be hedged and pushed out as much as possible until that happens. So I don't see them getting young guys signed to long term deals (do we even know enough about these guys to make that sort of decision regardless)? Sure would've been nice to get better/longer looks this season.  Starting to feel like '82 again. 

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, AceBee said:

Year in and year out..Cle still fought and even earned a first round bye. MIL and TB were the best teams. Payroll is one part of the story but surely we are lacking something else be competitive on a consistent basis

Surely lacking some organizational plan along with reasonable health from anticipated contributors.

Tampa & Milwaukee & Cleveland are fabulous examples of what very shrewd FO/organization people can get done with less $$ resources. The KEY is they have discipline, a consistent philosophy, and a PLAN to operate within certain budget limits/goals.

Minnesota spent $125M in ‘21 - $141M in ‘22 - $158M in ‘23 - $127M in ‘24 - $137M in ‘25 - $115M in ‘26 (after $$ adds from deadline trades)………the last 3 seasons have seen significant drops in spending w/o having this as a plan. They were averaging 5-7% payroll increase for a few years through ‘22…. ‘23 was the high & Team was in the playoffs. ‘25 & ‘26 spending were “planned on” in November/December shooting from the hip as compared to Tampa or Milwaukee or Cleveland.

Of this past season’s spending $22M were paid to Lopez w/o any contribution on the mound……….$10M were paid against Correa’s salary in Houston. That’s $83M paid out for the players on the field through most of ‘26. No FO is going to succeed with this type of ownership behavior!

[Blyleven2011]

One thing that is missing from our lineup is a killer instinct on clutch hitting ( pressure is not there specialty ) , another is not hitting to all fields … 

if our hitters would hit to all fields they would get more seeing eye hits as defense wouldn’t know exactly where to position themselves …

Buxton when healthy and producing is as close to a super star as the twins have had , Correa and Donaldson were good but more prima donnas …

we definitely need a better hitting lineup and bullpen help  …

it was a better season in 2026 , exciting games that they fought through , it was a little different style of baseball with Shelton managing …

 

[chinmusic]

37 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

This team does need an organizational reset. It just hasn't happened yet. A new brain trust is needed immediately, so that they're not caught flat-footed at the end of the lockout.

Agreed. They seem to simply recycle rather than reset. It doesn't work.

[Mike Sixel]

55 minutes ago, Andy MacPhail said:

The cause of coming short this season is as always running out of gas due to lack of quality depth, The main reason we didn't have quality depth was the same, poor player evaluation & philosophy. Poor player evaluation results in poor drafting, misplacing players defensively & poor trades, Hanging onto players that should be traded, having a hugh glut at LH hitting OFers & short everywhere else, trading players that shouldn't be, promoting & playing players that shouldn't be & sitting players that need a chance. There are too many 1st round draftee that fizzle out. For us to become better we need to become like the Brewers, not NYY.

Other than Ryan, who ran out of gas? The back of the bullpen I guess. But Larnach reverted to who he was. So did Lewis. And Jeffers. I just didn't see the save things as you. Bradley, Matthews, and Prielipp sure didn't. 

I disagree with Nick. This team didn't invest in learning about the future. It backed into that, and barely at all for ERod. 

[Mike Sixel]

If it was easy to do what Tampa and Cleveland do, more teams would. That's no excuse, but it's an explanation.....