Twins Secretly Hoping Lockout Shortens 2027 Season

There are plenty of ways for a baseball team to prepare for the 2027 season. The Minnesota Twins have apparently found a new one: hoping theres less of one.

With the 2026 season limping toward its conclusion, the Twins have watched another year of injuries, rehab assignments, mysterious soreness and players disappearing from the lineup at inconvenient times. At this point, the organization may be looking at the looming collective bargaining negotiations and thinking there's a silver lining.

Maybe the lockout will shorten the season. Why play 162 games when 120 might do?

"We've been studying the data," one anonymous Twins executive said. "Every time we play a baseball game, theres a chance someone gets hurt. Therefore, fewer baseball games means fewer opportunities for injuries. We're really excited about this innovative strategy."

It's difficult to argue with the math. 

Byron Buxton's 2026 season is ending in familiar fashion. Injured. The Twins' longtime superstar has dealt with injuries throughout his career, and another abbreviated season has once again raised questions about how much Minnesota can realistically expect from him over a full schedule. Maybe the answer is simple. Don't have a full schedule.

"If Byron only had to play 100 games, we'd expect him to play 100 games," the anonymous executive said. "If he had to play 80, we'd expect him to play 80. We're currently exploring whether baseball would allow us to schedule him for approximately 47 games and call that a season."

Buxton's availability has become one of the biggest variables surrounding the Twins. A shortened season wouldn't magically eliminate injuries, but it could reduce the physical toll associated with playing nearly every day for six months. The Twins could even introduce a revolutionary new concept: rest.

"That's a bold proposal," the executive said. "We're still running it through baseball operations."

One Half of Baseball Might Be Perfect for Joe Ryan. He's also provided Minnesota with an interesting annual puzzle. When Ryan is rolling, he looks like a top-of-the-rotation starter. Unfortunately, his recent track record has included a noticeable difference between the first half and second half. This year is no exception. So perhaps the Twins have found the solution. Only play one half.

"Joe has demonstrated that he can be extremely effective for half a season," a Twins pitching coach said. "We've decided to stop asking him to pitch the other half. It's really more of a workload-management decision than anything else."

Imagine the possibilities. Opening Day arrives. Ryan dominates. He takes the mound every fifth day. He continues pitching well. The great thing is that the lockout means there really is only one half of baseball. 

"Joe finished with a 3.17 ERA in the first half," the coach said. "We don't see any reason to complicate things by introducing a second half."

The proposal could also eliminate the dreaded September collapse. There would be September baseball, but Ryan would feel like it's only July. Problem solved. Earlier this year, a source said, the Twins considered not telling Ryan about the All-Star break and hoping he wouldn't notice it was happening, since the break seems to trigger his annual collapse. That became unworkable once he was selected to pitch in the exhibition. A truncated season without an All-Star Game would solve the problem for them.

The Twins also have another reason to embrace a shortened schedule. Their young players keep getting hurt. Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez represent two of the organization's most important young offensive pieces. Both have dealt with significant injuries during their development, creating understandable concerns about how their bodies will hold up over a full major-league schedule.

A shorter season could limit some of that exposure. Rodriguez wouldn't have as many opportunities to injure his thumb. Jenkins wouldn't have as many opportunities to sprint into an outfield wall.

"There's a lot of strategy involved," another anonymous executive said. "If Walker plays 100 games, there are 62 fewer games in which he can collide with something."

That is the kind of forward thinking the Twins need. The organization could even install fewer walls.

"We've discussed removing the outfield walls entirely," the executive said. "But MLB has some concerns."

There is, unfortunately, one major flaw in this master plan. The Twins don't actually control whether the 2027 season gets shortened. The collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season, meaning labor negotiations will determine whether baseball experiences another lockout and whether games are ultimately missed. But that isn't stopping Minnesota from dreaming.

"We've reviewed every possible scenario," the anonymous executive said. "A normal 162-game season is obviously the most challenging. A 154-game season would be manageable. A 140-game season would be better. At 120, we're talking about a really exciting competitive window."

At 100 games, the Twins reportedly believe their injury situation could become "elite." At 81 games, Minnesota would only have to survive one half of baseball. At 60 games, Buxton might actually be available for most of them.

And at 30 games? Well, nobody knows what happens then. But the Twins would probably have a very healthy roster.

"Thirty games sounds fantastic," the executive said. "We'd probably still have six starting pitchers."

Obviously, a shortened 2027 season would create enormous problems for the sport. Players would lose games and salary opportunities, fans would lose baseball, and the competitive balance of the season would be dramatically altered.

"We're not saying we want a lockout," the anonymous executive said. "We're simply saying that if baseball happened to lose a few months, we'd be prepared to make the most of the situation."

And if the Twins eventually decide they need to shorten the season even further, there's always one final option. Just don't play.

"We're still evaluating it," the executive said.

Do you approve of Twins ownership?

Do you approve of Twins ownership?

• Do you approve of Twins ownership? Required
  

  
• Save

See All Twins Polls >