Grading the Minnesota Twins' 2025-2026 Offseason

F is the grade for me. Maybe a D- if you want to be generous. Outside of improving the backup catcher spot with Caratini offensively over Vazquez that's all I see there. Bell will do nothing to improve the team at 1B and we already had 3 guys that are DH types like him that shouldn't be playing defensively. Every other move was changing pebbles on the beach instead of adding a few rocks. The big move in the bullpen was Rogers and he's a shadow of his former self when he was with the Twins previously. It's going to take another good FULL year from Buck, a bounce back year from Wallner, The same production all year from Martin that we saw in the last month or two of 2025, No sophomore slump from Keaschall and major improvements from Lee and Lewis for this team to be better than last year offensively. 1B still remains a liability. Maybe Jenkins, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Culpepper will be up by mid-season to help, but that will only happen if all of the above DON'T do what they need to, which only solidifies that the off-season was a bonafide failure. The rotation is going to need to go deep into ballgames almost every game cause the bullpen looks to be a disaster. Good Luck Tom!

Clearly an F. The White Sox may have passed by the Twins. The Pohlad's need to go. 

4 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

No creativity , no strategy and a strange plan , pitching is a strength but the rest of the roster is a mess with no moves to solve the holes , keep trotting out the same players year after year in hope that they will be more competitive ...

 

Many of you missed the point of this off-season.  There are many high ceiling players on the Twins right now and only one position player who has reached his ceiling (Buxton).  Maybe Jeffers is close, on offense, but probably not on D.  But, look at all of these high ceiling players who are woefully short of reaching that ceiling:  Lewis, Lee, Larnach, Wallner, and maybe even Martin and Keaschall.  And, the entire bullpen.  Imagine if Lewis were hitting 30 dingers a season (he was, at one time, plus at all 5 tools), or Wallner and Larnach hitting 20+ each, and Martin and Lee consistently hitting over .300.  Imagine some combination of these playing superb defense.  This is what we were promised as we drafted and developed these high ceiling players.  But they are all sitting on the floor.  

Now, THIS IS exactly what I believe Zoll, Tom, Shelton, and the strategists are looking at right now....they are looking at a group of players that need to be retrained, reoriented, restructured, fixed, and coached up far closer to their ceiling.  Because if just 3 or 4 of them achieve this, the Twins DO become competitive.  

Sure, there are still holes,  1B.  The bullpen.  Maybe a true vacuum cleaner at SS.  But we have plenty of highly desirable talent close in AAA. But, if you squint, you could see a breakthrough with this fairly well stacked but largely underachieving talent!  

So, I credit Tom with cleaning the management and coaching houses and giving the new guys a crack at turning this horde of talent into something respectable, something "competitive."  Rocco is gone--along with many of his minions.  Falvey is gone, with his inane hole-patching trades.  The problem was never that we didn't have talented players, it was that we never saw the talented players we already have reach their potential.  We even saw great players come onto this team and regress to their floor (I'm looking at you, CC). 

There's a new sheriff in town....let's hope that they can turn this around.   Tom is gonna give them a chance to do it.  

This doesn't mean that I am optimistic for a winning 2026....but it is the overarching strategy that Tom has put in place.  It clearly explains the lack of off-season moves.  It might work, but I expect it will take a culture cleansing in the clubhouse and that will take more than one season. 

Too much Maur-itis still exists in this clubhouse!

12 minutes ago, JADBP said:

So, I credit Tom with cleaning the management and coaching houses and giving the new guys a crack at turning this horde of talent into something respectable, something "competitive."  Rocco is gone--along with many of his minions.  Falvey is gone, with his inane hole-patching trades. 

Rocco was replaced by his former bench coach who was hired because he is the most Rocco-like manager they could find. Falvey is gone, but he's replaced by Zoll who was promoted by Falvey. Zoll executed the deadline trades last summer.

This is literally the smallest amount of change they could achieve after firing Falvey and Rocco.

5 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Rocco was replaced by his former bench coach who was hired because he is the most Rocco-like manager they could find. Falvey is gone, but he's replaced by Zoll who was promoted by Falvey. Zoll executed the deadline trades last summer.

This is literally the smallest amount of change they could achieve after firing Falvey and Rocco.

Yes, I know.  But I don't think Derek is Rocco-like.  Rocco was super laid back.  I think Derek has more fire in him.  A little more Madden-esqe.

16 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

This is literally the smallest amount of change they could achieve after firing Falvey and Rocco

And this is the bummer of it all. I like that Falvine updated some things in the organization, but they were too much the polar opposite of Terry Ryan. The key is the split the difference and I don't think these guy's are it.

5 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I'll bite.  Maur-itis?  

It's when you get whacked in the head and then think you're a first baseman.

D  -  Its only because I think the performance will be better than what we currently have listed for the bullpen.  However they did extremely little to support the Pen.   This had always been the Falvey way, so will this continue.  For this year it sure looks like it.  There is 1 more possible closer if everything went right in Kopech,  and 2-3 reliever arms left that could be nice depth pieces.  

Lets say we end up with a Kopech and Banda or Kahnle-  I may move it to C+.   You rebuilt a bullpen but you just got it back to suitable.   Which we have lineup that is ok,  and then the only strength is the starting pitching.    

Not changing ownership,  really messed up this season in my opinion and the long term of this team.  Ryan should have been traded no questions asked.  If Buxton was ready to be traded,  trade him as well,  everyone feels like this is a subpar team,  might as well gone all the way and rebuilt with a young team, and taken our lumps.  I don't want to be told we are competing with a very slim shot of being able to do that.  

5 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

Bell is another addition to the amorphous blob of mediocrity gumming up 1B/DH

Caratini potentially could raise the floor the most, but that's partially due to simply replacing Vasquez, who was a bottomless pit at the plate.  At least he provides some cover for the position next year.  This was probably my favorite move.

Rogers was needed, but he's not a high leverage option on a good team anymore.  The amount of proven high leverage options in the bullpen still maxes out at one, and that's being very generous toward Sands.

The trades were little more than shuffling deck chairs.  Depth has improved, but something will have gone wrong if any of them find themselves to be regular starters this year.

You could argue that every move raised their floor and that none raised their ceiling.  They need to raise the ceiling if they're serious about being competitive.  And since there are no more ceiling-raising moves to be made without sending out some near-major league ready prospects (which they aren't going to do), then they're just wishing/hoping/praying on internal development to raise that ceiling. 

In other words, they're putting out what's largely the same starting unit as the end of last year and expecting different results.  Is there a word for that?

Honestly Idk if they've really improved the floor at all. Maybe at C but that's it. The entire bench sans Caratini is waiver wire fodder. They're praying for replacement level production at 1B, whether it's Wagaman/Clemens or Bell. Rogers doesn't move the needle enough in a pen that only had 1.5 ok arms prior to his signing. Brutal. 

6 hours ago, AceWrigley said:

Probably the most underwhelming roster offseason in memory.

Worst offseason ever.

There are those on here who have memories much longer than mine, but even in the late 70's when Griffith lost or traded just about every player with a pulse, well at least they tempted fans to dream about a future outfield of Bombo Rivera, Willie Norwood, and Hosken Powell.  Ah, the Good Ole Days!  Maybe we were just more gullible then...

Griffith at least had the excuse of owning in an era with no revenue sharing, no significant TV money, and no other source of income, unlike our current batch of public welfare Banksters.

Most surprising to me is that they watched the underperforming Brooks Lee last year and didn't do something - anything - to upgrade the position for 2026.  A good SS can give a lot of bang for the buck and really help a young pitching staff.  They already know Lee is a step too slow.

2 hours ago, Nshore said:

Most surprising to me is that they watched the underperforming Brooks Lee last year and didn't do something - anything - to upgrade the position for 2026.  A good SS can give a lot of bang for the buck and really help a young pitching staff.  They already know Lee is a step too slow.

How much were you going to invest in SS with Culpepper potentially a couple months away? Lee is only meh, not terrible, so let him play until the future arrives.

If they're serious about "contending" as their boss keeps saying, 2 or more months of slow footed Lee won't get them there. 

I think people are being pretty optimistic about Culpepper.  He probably needs more than a couple months.  And there's some thought out there that he's not even a SS - at least at the ML level.

I'd have invested a healthy chunk of the budget in a solid SS, but it's too late now anyway.

14 hours ago, JADBP said:

So, I credit Tom with cleaning the management and coaching houses and giving the new guys a crack at turning this horde of talent into something respectable, something "competitive."  Rocco is gone--along with many of his minions.  Falvey is gone, with his inane hole-patching trades.  The problem was never that we didn't have talented players, it was that we never saw the talented players we already have reach their potential.  We even saw great players come onto this team and regress to their floor (I'm looking at you, CC). 

There's a new sheriff in town....let's hope that they can turn this around.   Tom is gonna give them a chance to do it.  

This doesn't mean that I am optimistic for a winning 2026....but it is the overarching strategy that Tom has put in place.  It clearly explains the lack of off-season moves.  It might work, but I expect it will take a culture cleansing in the clubhouse and that will take more than one season. 

Too much Maur-itis still exists in this clubhouse!

Doing the same thing and expecting different results is not a good strategy, it's the definition of insanity.  What successful franchise would follow this strategy?  What are the Cardinals doing in a similar situation even though they have a fair amount more payroll capacity?  Is this what the Guardians, Rays or Brewers would do?  Not a chance.   They were bad with Joe and Falvey but Tom's "strategy" is the product of a special kind of incompetence.  Imagine someone in management saying here is my plan to make a contender out of one of the worst teams in the game.  We spend less, add a couple of mediocre players to fill holes, and ignore a BP that was decimated.   Tom guiding this team's direction looks like the worst-case scenario to me.   I will hope along with everyone else here that everything falls in place as you have outlined but the odds are VERY long indeed.  This team getting sold is the only way to salvage this train wreck.

They need to trade Jeffries before we lose him to free agency. Pick up a couple more pitching prospects. 

10 hours ago, Nshore said:

If they're serious about "contending" as their boss keeps saying, 2 or more months of slow footed Lee won't get them there. 

I think people are being pretty optimistic about Culpepper.  He probably needs more than a couple months.  And there's some thought out there that he's not even a SS - at least at the ML level.

I'd have invested a healthy chunk of the budget in a solid SS, but it's too late now anyway.

Is this and your previous... bang for the buck post, suppose to be sarcastic? If so, then I agree. Someone like Carlos Correa would be ideal. Wait! They tried that already and failed. He wasn't able to provide that bang for the buck like you hoped. He was too much buck for the bang. Someone with similar skills for half the money would be the answer. Where's he coming from? 

It's true they are already talking Culpeppers abilty to be a major league SS is questionable. When was the last time they had a really good one that didn't cost C4 payroll? You have to go back to the days of Roy Smalley and Greg Gagne. In all likelihood, having Lee play SS for the near term isn't going to matter. This team, as constructed, isn't going anywhere anyway. Might as well have a below average SS to go along with just about every other positional player on the roster.

19 minutes ago, Coach JT said:

They need to trade Jeffries before we lose him to free agency. Pick up a couple more pitching prospects. 

Or a pitcher that is injured. That worked so well under the Falvey era.

Not a lot of reasons to take in a game in person. Here's hoping prospects develop quickly and interject some excitement. 

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

The Twins are not the first team to run out of money. 

It is sad to watch. It's like a watching someone with a pulled hamstring limping to the starters block. 

This team will have to commit to youth eventually. It's inevitable and the most sensible path.

The delay will be costly. 

Tom Pohlad has stated they have to be contenders this year.  OK,  Given the state of the team, contending would require a payroll level that would not be profitable.  You can choose between contending and profitability, but you can't realistically have both.  Chose a path.  If you are unwilling to spend, manage the roster / assets in a manner that provides the most likely path to success.  They are following a plan with little chance of short-term success while diminishing their chance at future success. 

BTW .... I realize I am preaching to the Choir.

I'm giving them an "F."  Here's why:

I'm on board with the Caratini signing because it gives the Twins a clear off ramp to trading Jeffers so they can maximize his value rather than just letting him walk as a Scott Boras FA.  The other move where they spent some money was Josh Bell.  In the case of Bell and Caratini, $7 million or so for each of them represents a "massive" investment for the Twins.  This is the foundation for an "F" grade.

Bell fills a position that by all logic, (if improving OF defense was actually a goal), Wallner should be filling.  Put Wallner at DH and spend that $7 million on Kopech and your roster construction already makes much more sense.

But everywhere else they have added at the fringes.  Taylor Rogers and Liam Hendricks in the BP could be a masterstroke at the money invested.  But they don't appear to be needle movers.  And both are clearly far out of their "prime."

We have a Black Hole at SS.  Lee is universally thought to be a 3B or 2B.  NOT a SS.  Culpepper "could" be a SS but the opinions on him sticking there are "mixed."  That's not really a ringing endorsement.  Marek Houston can certainly play the position, but can he hit a lick?  

For a defensive position that is crucial, that is thought to be the most important position for a major league defense, the fall back plan is Orlando Arcia ???  That's front office malpractice.  So much for Tom Pohlad going BIG...he should just go home.  

In an off season where each A.L. Central team made solid moves to improve (yes, even the White Sox) not a single move made by the Twins is even close to comparing.  Our "plan" was to essentially run things back, with a BP decimated at the trade deadline and no Carlos Correa at SS.  In what world do the Twins show a chance of improving in 2026? 

Only in a world that has Byron Buxton healthy and duplicating his 2025 season.  Where Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner each hit 30 HR's.  Where Keaschall stays healthy, plays in 150 games, has an OPS approaching .780 and steals 35-45 bases.  Lee reaches 20 HR's and plays "passable" defense and rookies like Walker Jenkins, E-Rod, Prielipp and Gonzalez all exceed expectations. (Not to mention that Ryan, Lopez and Ober ALL stay healthy and perform at peak ability). 

How likely are ALL of these things to coalesce and come to pass?  

We get an "F."  

21 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

In what world do the Twins show a chance of improving in 2026? 

Only in a world that has Byron Buxton healthy and duplicating his 2025 season.  Where Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner each hit 30 HR's.  Where Keaschall stays healthy, plays in 150 games, has an OPS approaching .780 and steals 35-45 bases.  Lee reaches 20 HR's and plays "passable" defense and rookies like Walker Jenkins, E-Rod, Prielipp and Gonzalez all exceed expectations. (Not to mention that Ryan, Lopez and Ober ALL stay healthy and perform at peak ability). 

How likely are ALL of these things to coalesce and come to pass?  

Yeah, that's a strawman.  They could improve with half of those things going right, or only getting half way there. I realize you live to bash the Pohlads, but try to stay tethered, you know?  We can only improve if Lee hits 20 HR? What about 17?