Nate Palmer

As the offseason market churns, the most significant news for the Twins comes from moves that affect off-the-field dealings and less the ones that directly affect on-field competition. The club recently revealed further details about the limited partners purchasing minority interests in the club. Of course, the Pohlads stole the spotlight in that announcement by ousting brother Joe for brother Tom. On the field, the Twins have signed Josh Bell to bolster their lineup and replaced free agent Christian Vázquez with Alex Jackson via a trade with Baltimore. A lot of questions remain regarding the bullpen, but an early offseason trade to acquire Eric Orze from the Rays is the most significant relief pitcher addition to date. Instead of dwelling on the Twins' needs, let's turn to what the rest of the AL Central has done and what the Twins might be up against in 2026. Cleveland Guardians In light of the news that the Guardians will certainly be without Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz while both face federal charges related to rigging bets, the AL Central foes have spent most of their additions on bullpen arms. Shawn Armstrong will bring his veteran presence to Cleveland, after one of the best seasons of his career as he enters his age-35 season. Kolby Allard and Jakob Junis also represent depth arms that Cleveland will need to replace, either through other signings (like Connor Brogdon and Colin Holderman, whom they've also scooped up so far) or from within. Beyond the bullpen, this Cleveland team is currently slated to be the same one we saw last offseason, with familiar names like José Ramírez and Steven Kwan leading the offense. We must remember that this was a group good enough to win the division last season. Additions: Signed RP Connor Brogdon to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: -0.3 Signed RP Colin Holderman to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.1 Signed RP Shawn Armstrong to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 1.4 RP Justin Bruihl (acquired from Toronto). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 OF Stuart Fairchild (MiLB deal). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 Subtractions: RP Sam Hentges (signed with Giants). 2025 fWAR: Injured OF Lane Thomas (signed with Royals). 2025 fWAR: -0.5 SP Triston McKenzie (signed MiLB deal with Padres). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 Still on the Board: RP Nic Enright. 2025 fWAR: 0.2 OF Will Brennan. 2025 fWAR: -0.1 RP Jakob Junis. 2025 fWAR: 0.6 RP Ben Lively. 2025 fWAR: 0.4 RP Kolby Allard. 2025 fWAR 0.7 INF Will Wilson. 2025 fWAR -0.4 Chicago White Sox The White Sox will hope to see many of their young players take the next step in 2026, but they have—if nothing else—added some intriguing names to their talent mix. Munetaka Murakami comes over from Japan on a two-year deal, in a bit of a surprise signing. Murakami could become another South Side power bat that the Twins will be forced to pay attention to. Sean Newcomb will add some desperately needed length to the White Sox rotation, which is slated to be led by last season’s Rule 5 pick, Shane Smith. Anthony Kay is a fellow left-handed starter who will come back to the States after a stint in Asia. The White Sox will hope that Kay’s 1.74 ERA over 155 innings will translate back to the United States, as it has for others before him making that same transition. Additions: SP/RP Sean Newcomb to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 1.7 1B/3B Munetaka Murakami to a 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: NPB SP Anthony Kay to a 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: NPB SP/RP Chris Murphy (acquired from Boston) 2025 fWAR: -0.2 OF Everson Pereira (Acquired from Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: -0.5 Subtractions: RP Steven Wilson (traded to Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: 0.4 SP/RP Yoendrys Gomez (traded to Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: 0.1 OF Michael A. Taylor (retired). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 RP Tyler Alexander signed a 1-year deal with Texas. 2025 fWAR: 1.3 OF Will Robertson (claimed by Pittsburgh). 2025 fWAR: -0.8 Still on the Board: RP Cam Booser. 2025 fWAR: -0.6 OF Mike Tauchman. 2025 fWAR: 1.4 SP Martin Perez (mutual option declined). 2025 fWAR: 0.8 RP Miguel Castro. 2025 fWAR: -0.1 Losing Tyler Alexander and potentially Mike Tauchman will leave the White Sox with the biggest production voids. The team will only succeed if the young players develop, as the baseball world got a glimpse of last season. While the hill looks steep, it could prove unwise to completely overlook an offensive core of Chase Meidroth, Kyle Teel, and Colson Montgomery, now joined by Murakami. Detroit Tigers For much of 2025, Detroit looked like the team to beat in the AL Central. There are still many reasons why they look that way going into 2026. Among all the trade rumors, Tarik Skubal is arguably one of the best starting pitchers in baseball and is still a Tiger. Gleyber Torres is returning to the team to maintain the middle of a formidable lineup, with Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, and Spencer Torkelson. On the pitching side, the Tigers have made some significant additions to their bullpen. Kenley Jansen is slated to take over the closer's role as he chases 500 career saves. Kyle Finnegan will bring ample setup experience to deepen the Tigers' bullpen. Additions: RP Kenley Jansen to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.6 RP Kyle Finnegan to a 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 1.2 2B Gleyber Torres (accepted qualifying offer). 2025 fWAR: 2.6 SP/RP Drew Anderson to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: KBO Subtractions: RP Chase Lee (traded to Toronto). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 SP Randy Dobnak (minor league deal with Seattle) 2025 fWAR: -0.1 RP Alex Lange (signed with Kansas City) 2025 fWAR: 0.0 RP Jason Foley (signed with San Francisco). 2025 fWAR: DNP Still on the Board: INF Andy Ibanez (non-tendered). 2025 fWAR: 0.4 RP Jason Foley. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 RP Dugan Darnell. 2025 fWAR: 0.0 RP Paul Sewald (mutual option declined). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 SP Jose Urquidy (club option declined). 2025 fWAR: 0.0 SP Alex Cobb. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 RP Tommy Kahnle. 2025 fWAR: 0.1 RP Rafael Montero. 2025 fWAR: 0.1 SP Chris Paddack. 2025 fWAR: 0.7 While the Tigers are certainly losing a lot of recognizable names, those names did not quite perform as hoped. Jansen and Finnegan bring some name recognition with them as well, and Detroit will hope they bring their 2025 production with them. Kansas City Royals The Royals were initially viewed as a team with limited payroll flexibility heading into the offseason. That hasn’t stopped them from making some trades and deals, and specifically dealing from a place of depth: their pitching staff. Most of Twins Territory didn’t believe the Royals would be competitive last season, even after a series of signings. Unfortunately, they were competitive, and the Royals only seemed to strengthen themselves. Kansas City has added to its roster with the acquisition of lefty Matt Strahm (one of my favorite moves of the offseason) and outfielder Isaac Collins, both acquired via trade. Additions: RP Matt Strahm (acquired from Philadelphia). 2025 fWAR: 1.5 RP Nick Mears (acquired from Milwaukee). 2025 fWAR: 0.5 OF Isaac Collins (acquired from Milwaukee). 2025 fWAR: 2.6 OF Lane Thomas to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: -0.5 RP Alex Lange to a 1-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.0 OF Kameron Misner (acquired from Tampa Bay). 2025 fWAR: 0.3 SP Mason Black (acquired from San Fransisco). 2025 fWAR: -0.1 C Salvador Perez re-signed to 2-year deal. 2025 fWAR: 0.5 Subtractions: RP Jonathan Bowlan (traded to Philadelphia). 2025 fWAR: 0.2 RP Angel Zerpa (traded to Milwaukee). 2025 fWAR: 0.3 OF Logan Martin (traded to San Francisco). 2025 fWAR: N/A RP Sam Long (signed with NPB Chiba Lotte). 2025 fWAR: -0.4 OF Mike Yastrzemski (signed with Atlanta). 2025 fWAR: 2.4 RP Hunter Harvey (signed with Cubs). 2025 fWAR: 0.5 Still on the Board: RP Taylor Clarke. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 OF MJ Melendez. 2025 fWAR: -0.6 OF Randal Grichuk. 2025 fWAR: -0.4 SP Michael Lorenzen (declined mutual option). 2025 fWAR: 1.2 C Luke Maile. 2025 fWAR: 0.3 INF/OF Adam Frazier. 2025 fWAR: 0.7 Mike Yastrzemski certainly represented value as a solid MLB regular last season, so losing him shouldn’t be entirely overlooked. At the same time, the Royals look ready to reload in the outfield and should continue to compete for the AL Central. Not to mention, there still seems to be steam around a desire to acquire outfielder Jarren Duran from the Boston Red Sox. What do these division moves mean for the Twins? Clearly, some AL Central foes have strengthened themselves, while the Twins haven’t done much. The AL Central does continue to be the AL Central. With the Twins still having a strong starting pitching core, they should be able to put themselves in a position to compete throughout the season, as none of the division teams have seemed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

With the Winter Meetings out of the way, there will be lots of opportunities for baseball matchmaking to occur. With Carlos Correa long out the door, the Minnesota Twins could turn their attention to another shortstop on the trade market to bolster their current infield core. Rumors around the Washington Nationals have been heavy, and many of those rumblings have centered on the club's current shortstop, CJ Abrams. Abrams is a player who could help the Twins achieve their short- and long-term roster goals. As it stands, the Twins are short on major-league experience at each of their infield positions. Abrams debuted in 2022 and since then, he's played in the majority of three major-league seasons. While Abrams would have the most experience under his belt of anyone currently in Minnesota if he joined the Twins roster, he is also only 25 years old; is hitting his first year of arbitration; and very well could grow with the other young players in the Twins system. Abrams is coming off his best season of offensive production, wherein he hit .257/.315/.433 and launched 19 home runs. Twins shortstops, meanwhile, hit .251/.307/.380 and managed just 17 home runs. Abrams would be able to provide improved offensive production at a prime defensive position. Whoever acquires Abrams would hope his growth and increased production continue—although they'll also need to reckon with the need to move him off shortstop. Abrams also fits the mold of “younger and faster,” if the Twins want to continue leaning into the increased baserunning aggressiveness they displayed toward the end of 2025. In the past three seasons, Abrams has stolen 47, 31, and 31 bases. Adding him would bring a well-established base-stealing threat to the Twins roster. Statcast tracked Abrams at 28.2 ft/s in sprint speed, and he was worth 7 baserunning runs, according to Baseball Savant. Defense is the bugaboo. Abrams has not been a good defender at the shortstop position, no matter the metric you look at. He produced -5 Defensive Runs Saved and -9 Outs Above Average this past season. The OAA metric was actually an improvement over a -14 in 2024. Shortstop wouldn’t have to be Abrams's position with the Twins, though, as Brooks Lee could continue to be penciled in at that spot. Lee turned in -1 OAA with an extended run after the Correa trade. If defense is a priority, moving Abrams to third (or second) is a real possibility. Regardless of the position Abrams would fill with the Twins, adding him would create a logjam in the infield, unless one of those current infielders is part of the package that fetches the young shortstop. While the Derek Shelton hire has seemed positive for Royce Lewis, the mercurial infielder has not been shy about expressing his displeasure with the direction of the clubhouse in the past. Overall, Lewis’s production has only trended downward since he entered the league. He did rebound in the second half of the season and posted a .723 OPS, giving some optimism for 2026. A trade for Abrams could provide a perfect opportunity to give Lewis a change of scenery and truly revitalize his career. It also points to the sort of "MLB player-for-MLB player" trade that Derek Falvey mentioned is more likely this time of year—not unlike Pablo Lopez for Luis Arraez. If they trade Abrams, the Nationals will certainly want to reload their own lineup, and Lewis would give them someone who has produced in the majors and is still on the front end of his career. The Twins could then play Lee and Abrams on the left side of the infield. Willy Adames was also traded when he was 25. The then-Ray was traded (along with relief pitcher Trevor Richards) to the Brewers for pitchers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. With that as a deal to compare potential value in an Abrams deal, and the reality that there may be some legitimate competition for Abrams, the Twins would need to kick a significant prospect into the deal in addition to Lewis. The Twins do have enough prospects to get the deal done while keeping Lewis, if they choose to go that route. If they did so, they would just need to get creative with the infield. Luke Keaschall would be able to shift to first base or even be a right-handed option for the outfield. It doesn’t create the most straightforward path to opportunities for each player and their development, but it could be accomplished. A challenge-plus trade makes the most sense, though. Washington could roll the dice on Lewis, while the Twins get better immediately and leverage their strong farm system to make the upgrade from Lewis to Abrams. The Twins need to give their lineup a shot in the arm, and a young, dynamic player like Abrams could provide that. Best-case, the Twins catch a player (like the Brewers did with Adames) hitting the prime of his career. Carlos Correa's signing(s) didn't quite deliver the high-impact, prime-aged infield dynamism the team expected. This kind of trade could do so.

The Minnesota Twins must see an improvement in their offense in order to have a chance at being competitive in 2026. The team has an obvious need for a right-handed, impact bat with first base and designated hitter as the most obvious positions where that addition could be added to the roster. Could free agent Paul Goldschmidt make sense for the Twins? Earlier in his career, Goldschmidt was a constant in All-Star and MVP conversations. He won the MVP award in the National League in 2022 while he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. Since 2022, Goldschmidt has not played anywhere near that MVP form, with a significant decline across many statistical categories. Even with that decline in performance, Goldschmidt looks like he would be a passable everyday player in Minnesota based on the traditional stats we look toward to measure production. With the Yankees in 2025, Goldschmidt slashed .274/.328/.403 with a .731 OPS. In 2025, Twins first basemen as a collective slashed .231/.304/.383 with a .687 OPS. With Kody Clemens currently the front runner for time at first base in 2026, a combination of Clemens and Goldschmidt looks intriguing when we simply look at the stats laid out above. A closer look reveals plenty of reasons to grow concerned about the 38-year-old. Often, when we look at batters and try to gauge where they are headed, bat speed is an important indicator. Goldschmidt, in the three years of data we have on swing speed, saw an increase in bat speed from 2023. An increase in bat speed is good, but what came with it may not be. With that increased speed, Goldschmidt, especially in 2025, began to swing under the ball more than ever. In 2024, Goldschmidt’s under% according to Statcast was 22.0% and rose to 27.1% last season. Subsequently, his flyball rate increased over the same time frame from 56.3% to 61.1%. The increase in flyball rate isn’t necessarily a concern in and of itself, as Goldschmidt has had similar flyball rates in some of his more productive seasons. The flyballs, combined with where the ball is being contacted, seem to have decreased much of Goldschmidt’s power. Year by year, since his MVP season, Goldschmidt has seen a decline in several secondary stats that indicate potential power output. xSLG xwOBA Barrel % 2023 0.447 0.367 12 2024 0.414 0.329 10.7 2025 0.403 0.328 7.9 By looking at expected stats, we eliminate the possibility that Goldschmidt has simply had bad luck. Instead, his reduction in production and power truly seems to be a product of a true decline. While in the Twins' recent past, the club has found success in signing aging sluggers such as Nelson Cruz and Jim Thome , Goldschmidt does not seem to be aging as gracefully. The production may level off and be similar in 2026 as it was in 2025, but at what cost for Goldschmidt’s next team, and is that cost worth it for the Twins? It seems unlikely that it would be wise for the Twins to go in the direction of Goldschmidt, even as desperate as they are for offensive production. The Twins will need to find treasure this offseason, but a Goldschmidt signing has a good chance of turning up fool’s gold.

The Minnesota Twins will need to find more consistent offensive production in 2026. With no signs pointing to an ability to spend substantial money in the free agent market, the Twins could turn to a crop of players who were recently made available at the non-tender deadline on Friday. Going into the deadline, it seemed as if the Twins would be keeping an eye on catchers who hit the open market after being non-tendered. The acquisition of Alex Jackson has since then made a move for a catcher no longer needed; therefore, we will turn our attention elsewhere. Here are three players who could help fill some lineup roles for the Twins. Nathaniel Lowe 1B Nathaniel Lowe was non-tendered by the Boston Red Sox, who acquired the left-handed batter mid-2025 from the Washington Nationals. MLBTR projected Lowe to be up for a raise that would land him at $13.5 million, which is too rich for the Twins if Lowe still expects something nearing that. Due to his play, the first baseman’s price should come down considerably, and the Red Sox version of Lowe could help stabilize first base and designated hitter for the Twins. In those 34 games with Boston, Lowe slashed .280/.370/.420 with a .790 OPS. The average and on-base percentage are well above his career marks, but the OPS is close to his career mark, in which he has held a .771 OPS. Lowe is approaching age 30, so the dip in production over the last several years is a concern, but he has still been as good as any of the Twins' current options at first base. Alexander Canario OF If the Twins wanted to try to add some right-handedness to their outfield, a Derek Shelton reunion with Alexander Canario would do that. The 25-year-old got his first significant playing time with the Pirates after spending time in the majors with the Chicago Cubs, where he was once a top prospect. As a prospect, Canario was viewed as someone with good size, which could translate into good pull power, but he hasn’t seen that materialize yet in the majors. Canario has shown his bat at lower levels of professional baseball, producing a .850 OPS and 18 home runs with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in 2024. Last winter in the Dominican Winter League, the right-hander had a .955 OPS. Canario seems like many Twins players who have yet to fully find a way to translate their tools into major league production. If Shelton and the Twins evaluators see something in him, yet he could be worth a flyer to capture a bat with some pop to it. J.J. Bleday OF In the past several offseasons, the Twins' front office has identified a backup centerfielder to bring into the mix. J.J. Bleday has a lot of experience at the position, playing 157 games there in 2024 and another 55 this past season as a member of the Athletics. In 2024, he played 159 games with the Athletics and amassed 2.1 bWAR, a .762 OPS, and an OPS+ of 120. Now, Bleday is unlike those other centerfielders the Twins have employed, as he has struggled with his range in center field. If the Twins believe they can recapture his bat from 2024 and make him into the sort of defender who can spell Byron Buxton in center, there could be a platoon role for Bleday. He would be joining a very full roster of fellow left-handed outfielders, which that redundancy alone may make him a long shot for the Twins. What do you think? Can any of these non-tendered hitters help the Twins in 2026? Are there other non-tendered hitters you'd like to see the Twins try to sign?

As Derek Shelton takes over as Twins manager, there have been plenty of questions swirling about whether he could manage the Pittsburgh Pirates to success. How will he do that in his new role with the Twins? Derek Falvey has stated that he believes this Twins roster is much different than the Pittsburgh Pirates team Shelton was charged with leading. At first blush, much of Twins Territory recoiled at that statement, seeing how far this roster has fallen and how much payroll has been slashed. The Twins have felt very Pirate-y very quickly, but maybe there is some truth to Falvey’s words. The Hitters The 2020 Pirates had some names that are now recognizable, but their 2020 versions were much younger and very different from the current versions we know. In the shortened 2020 COVID season, then 23-year-old rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes led the Pirates with a 1.9 bWAR in just 24 games, producing a 1.124 OPS. Next were a pair of the most elderly of the Pirates starting group, starting with the 30-year-old catcher Jacob Stallings, who posted a 1.0 bWAR, and 28-year-old infielder Adam Frazier, who turned in a 0.8 bWAR. Only three Pirates were able to produce an OPS above .700 for 2020. Those players being the aforementioned Hayes and Stallings, as well as Colin Moran. While the stats will always look strange when looking back at the 2020 season because of the smaller sample size of the shortened season, the Twins come out looking much better offensively, even after what is considered a failed season in 2025. Byron Buxton clearly leads the way with his 4.9 bWAR and .878 OPS. The Twins had their own rookie climb the leaderboard in Luke Keaschall with a 2.0 bWAR and .827 OPS. Of the players currently on the Twins roster, Buxton, Keaschall, Ryan Jeffers, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, and Kody Clemens each posted an OPS above .700. In a limited time, Austin Martin and Ryan Fitzgerald did as well. Beyond the performance level in 2025, the Twins will have a mix of young players ready to hit the majors (more on that later) as well as a much more established set of veteran players than the Pirates did. As the Twins stand today, they will have Jeffers, Buxton, Wallner, Larnach, Clemens, and James Outman as potential regulars, all playing in their 28th year or older. The Pitchers At first glance, the pitching staffs are very similar in many ways. A young Mitch Keller was in place to lead the way for the Pirates, while the Twins have their own star in Joe Ryan. In 2020, Keller posted a 157 ERA+, and Ryan trailed with a 125 ERA+. The Twins next starter in line, Pablo Lopez, in his limited action, posted a 156 ERA+. The Pirates had three starters behind Keller, who posted an ERA+ above 100 in Steven Brault (134), Joe Musgrove (117), and Chad Kuhl (106). The Twins didn’t quite keep the same pace, with only Simeon Woods Richardson (107) joining Lopez and Ryan with an ERA+ above 100. While many production numbers between the two rotations seem similar, the Twins depth goes deeper than the Pirates did in 2020. Although there are still many injury and performance concerns amongst the likes of Bailey Ober, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews, there will hopefully be depth there for the Twins and Shelton to lean on. It is almost impossible to evaluate the Twins bullpen at this point. One advantage the Pirates had in 2020 was veteran Richard Rodriguez, who locked down the back end of the bullpen. Something the Twins do not have at this point in the offseason as they look forward to 2026. Prospects If the Twins roster hasn’t distanced itself from the 2020 Pirates by the players on the active roster, it is in the farm system that separation seems to be found. The Pirates had only two Top 100 prospects according to MLB.com in 2020: Mitch Keller (39) and Oneil Cruz (64). What is good for the Pirates is that in a world where prospects often fail, both Keller and Cruz turned into productive major leaguers. In the most recent update, the Twins placed four players in MLB.com’s Top 100. Walker Jenkins (10), Kaelen Culpepper (52), Eduardo Tait (57), and Emmanuel Rodriguez (69). Out of that group, two, if not three, of those on the list are within realistic striking distance of playing in the majors in 2026. Jenkins and Rodriguez are very close; Culpepper may be a long shot, but it is still possible he gets a call in 2026, while Tait will require a bit more seasoning in the minors. Prospects do not always produce in the way they are projected, but the Twins have a strong group coming up, and Shelton will have the opportunity to usher these top 100 prospects, among others, into the big leagues. Even though it felt a little crazy at first, Falvey seems right in his assessment that the Pirates roster Shelton took over “had a lot less talent on the roster than what we (the Twins) have right now that he’s (Shelton) is walking into.” With Buxton leading the offense, a good core of starting pitchers, and prospects ready to make the leap to the majors, the Twins, on paper, look like they are in a better starting spot than Shelton’s first go around as a manager with the Pirates. The real question now will be, not just how they line up against the 2020 Pirates, but how well they can perform against 2026 MLB competition.

With the selection of Derek Shelton as the Minnesota Twins' next manager, the front office and ownership forgot one of their own publicly stated goals for the next manager of the Minnesota Twins. This manager was supposed to be a hire who would help address the struggles that have existed in player development. Derek Falvey made that direction known at the press conference following Rocco Baldelli's official firing, specifically when addressing questions about payroll. Falvey said that, because the Twins are a mid-market team, a new manager needs to be “a partner in growth and development.” ""The most important thing, I think, always is that you want a good partner who cares about not just maybe that day, but does want to invest in the whole organization and wants to think about young players and how we get them better," Falvey stated. "If you’re in a market like ours, and you’re going to bring up players, you’re going to bring up young players and guys that aren’t quite there yet. They need to be given runway, need to be given development and need to grow at this level." But Shelton didn’t seem to do particularly well in his previous stop in Pittsburgh. Yes, more recently, Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz have thrived, but that doesn’t seem to be to the credit of anyone other than their otherworldly natural gifts. Shelton had the opportunity to manage and introduce a few top-100 prospects to the big leagues, but the results the Pirates would have liked were not achieved. Henry Davis might headline that group as a catcher who has played in 186 MLB games over the past three seasons. In 2023 and 2024, when he would have played fully under Shelton, Davis posted a negative WAR and hit his major league best OPS at a mere .653 in 2023. Davis was touted as a top college bat in the 2021 class, but has not reached that standard to this point. Nick Gonzales cracked the top 20 on the MLB.com prospect list and has also experienced underwhelming offensive production. His bat was coveted after a strong final year at New Mexico State, and he grabbed the honor of being Cape Cod League MVP in 2019, the premier wood bat league for college players. 2024 was maybe an acceptable production year at age 25 with a .709 OPS and 97 OPS+, but acceptable is quite the dirty word for a one-time top 20 prospect. Endy Rodriguez, Nick Yorke, and Liover Peguero are other players who have yet to deliver on the potential ascribed to top-100 prospects. Joey Bart, acquired from the Giants, initially posted greatly improved production in 2024, posting a 2.2 bWAR and an OPS+ of 121. 2025 started well for Bart, but even before the catcher suffered a concussion, his production began to dip. As great as Cruz’s skills are, his production has been up and down, and there have been questions about his effort. To the credit of Shelton, Cruz’s two best seasons (2022 and 2024) were with Shelton at the helm. Maybe this is something Shelton has reflected on and realizes he didn’t do as well as he did during his tenure as manager. Shelton did point to some unnamed areas of improvement he has identified in quotes in a recent Bob Nightengale article. Even if Shelton recognizes it as a weakness and wants to improve it, the reality is that there is currently no track record of his meeting this goal well. That means the Twins will need to turn to the rest of the coaching staff to address this glaring player development issue. One could wonder whether the coaching approach outlined by LaTroy Hawkins might be part of what will be needed under Shelton to see an unproven Twins roster succeed. In a recent interview with Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Hawkins outlined how much of what many players need in their development isn’t related to the mechanics of baseball. Hawkins said, “We forget there’s a human element to it, the mental part of the game. The numbers don’t tell if you have an argument with your wife or your significant other on the way to the ballpark. They don’t care if your kid is in the hospital.” It would seem strange that Baldelli would have struggled with that side of managing and coaching since he is considered a players' manager, but maybe something along these lines was missing. While there is currently no chatter about Hawkins being added to the staff, it may be that approach that is missing from a player development perspective in the Twins dugout. Whether it is the approach of making sure a player's mind is right that is needed more, or something else, Falvey needs to find that right mix. The Shelton hire, on its own, doesn’t seem to address the original goal of improved player development, so it will be interesting to see what the Twins front office does as the offseason continues to address that issue.

Rocco Baldelli was shown the door on Monday and will not be returning to manage the Minnesota Twins in 2026. That leaves a whole staff of coaches in limbo. Most prominent on that list are pitching coach Pete Maki and hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. The last time (and only other time) the Twins have been in this position under Derek Falvey’s leadership was at the end of the 2018 campaign, when the front office fired Paul Molitor and began the search that culminated in Baldelli being hired. At that time, the Twins did retain three coaches from Molitor’s staff: bench coach Derek Shelton, hitting coach James Rowson, and assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez. The atmosphere around the club is slightly different today than it was at the end of 2018. Then, the team was a year removed from a playoff berth, and there was a group of hitters that had produced enough under Rowson to give hope for what was to come. That core included Mitch Garver, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario (coming off an .803 OPS season), Max Kepler, a 24-year-old Byron Buxton, and Miguel Sanó. The front office was also new enough, in itself, that the general state of leadership and the trust therein from outside the organization was much different than it is now. The moves to retain Rowson and Shelton paid off for the Twins, as both were recognized as contributors to the Twins' success in the following season. Rowson would ultimately receive a promotion and move to the Miami Marlins. Shelton got the even bigger bump, as he was hired to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates. By contrast, the current Twins club is at a low point in morale and performance. The question needs to be asked: Is there any part of the current Twins coaching culture that is worth retaining for the new manager, or is it best for the new manager to have a clean slate to work with? "Obviously, the next manager [who] comes in will have quite a bit of say, as Rocco did," Falvey said Tuesday, at the team's end-of-season press conference. "We told the coaching staff that. We had to be as clear and as transparent with them as we could be, which is, we’ll work toward the next manager and then figure out exactly what the staff looks like." Borgschulte just completed his first season as the Twins' hitting coach. He was welcomed as a returning hero after leaving the Twins to serve on the Orioles staff for a few years, but the Twins scored 678 runs (23rd in MLB) and ranked 18th in wRC+. For the entirety of 2025, the Twins consistently fell short when it came to scoring enough runs to win games. Even when looking at individual players, the successes are few for the recently completed season on the offensive side. That list may begin and end with Byron Buxton—and “coaching” up an alreay-elite player who simply stayed healthy this time isn’t much to hang your hat, on as a coach. Yes, there were flashes for parts of 2025 for other players, but the failures of so many far outweighed any good found. Borgschulte’s biggest hope for remaining on the 2026 staff is likely that the Twins front office realizes this isn’t a coaching problem, but a roster problem. Since the front office and ownership have already fired the manager, it seems unlikely that the upper-level leadership would view themselves and their roster construction as the problem, but rather, they would like to continue and shift blame elsewhere. We can quickly glance at David Popkins to realize the 2025 offense is likely a bigger issue than Borgschulte alone, but Baldelli has taken the initial fall, and unfortunately for Borgschulte, he may follow him out the door. Maki has been around longer than Borgschulte, having been elevated from bullpen coach to pitching coach after Wes Johnson walked away mid-season in June 2022. Overall, the Twins pitching staff's numbers were not great in 2025, as they allowed the 8th-most runs in MLB and ranked 24th in ERA. The difference between Maki and Borgschulte is that there were individual performances that can be pointed to as signs of forward progress. Joe Ryan took a step forward and looked like the Twins' number one starter for large parts of the season. Ryan reached 171 innings pitched, amassed 4.5 WAR, was named to the All-Star team, and had a 3.42 ERA. Zebby Matthews didn’t end the season with great overall numbers, but he had a stretch in August where he looked much more like the pitching prospect we had hoped to see when he was called up. Others, like Simeon Woods-Richardson, Bailey Ober, and Pablo López, have been steady, if not impressive, under Maki’s leadership. While those were the positives, Maki also seemed to have more talent to work with than Borgschulte, and wasn’t able to help it all come together. The bullpen, although good enough to be largely traded away, was not as dominant as it looked on paper before the season began. The bullpen performance may be one of the most significant negative marks on Maki’s season. While Maki has a larger resume to stand on to be retained under a new manager, that same resume may be the reason he is also shown the door. Out of the two, Maki seems more likely to be around in 2026. The fates of Maki and Borgschulte are situations that we will need to continue monitoring closely. Based on what has happened over the past year, both may be shown the door. What would you like to see the Twins do, and what do you think the Twins will actually do? Share in the comments below.

Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K (92 pitches, 58 strikes (63.0%) Home Runs: Brooks Lee (15) Top 3 WPA: Simeon Woods-Richardson (0.350), Brooks Lee (0.111), Edouard Julien (0.089) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Even in a season that is lost from a competitive standpoint, dishing a loss to the New York Yankees is worth the price of admission. Those who were willing to pay admission Monday night got that sweetest of treats. Hustlin’ a Run The Twins' offense would strike first, fueled by plenty of hustle on the basepaths. Jhonny Pereda led off the inning with a scorching double down the left field line that clocked in at 110.6 mph off the bat. Edouard Julien followed Pareda’s at-bat with his own hard-hit grounder up the middle, which got under the defender's glove and trickled into the outfield just far enough that Julien was able to beat out the throw to first and set up runners on first and second. After a Byron Buxton strikeout, Austin Martin would follow up with his own hustle on a grounder that the Yankees defense tried turning for two, in vain. Keeping the out off the board allowed Pereda to make his way home and put the Twins up 1-0. SWR Had a Night Simeon Woods Richardson had a tall task in front of him with a very dangerous Yankees lineup to pitch against. It feels like an understatement to say that he lived up to the task on Monday evening. The righty easily topped his own career strikeout mark with 11; previously, he had only reached eight in a game. Those 11 strikeouts also matched the top Twins mark for the 2025 season. Among those strikeouts was the fourth inning, in which Woods Richardson struck out the side and flirted with an immaculate inning. He also got the dangerous Giancarlo Stanton to strike out three times, including the 11th and final strikeout of the evening. On the way, Woods-Richardson created 16 swings and misses. Lee’s Right-Handed Power Brooks Lee had the opportunity to turn to the right side of the plate as a batter and seized it, to show off some power against the tough Carlos Rodon. Rodon has continued to be a dominant pitcher, with a 3.11 ERA across 30 starts in 2025. Lee still found a way to take Rodon deep for his 15th home run of the season and put the Twins up 2-0. In the seventh inning, Lee would turn to the other side of the plate and hit a double to drive in Trevor Larnach and increase the Twins lead once again to 3-0. Martin Delivers the Knockout After Lee added to the lead with his double, the Twins worked to load the bases for Austin Martin to come to the plate. Once again, Martin delivered, this time with a bases-clearing double, which also doubled the Twins' run total, putting them up 6-0. Martin’s four RBIs add to his already impressive September, in which he was hitting for a .333 average with a .880 OPS. If the hitting wasn't enough, Martin also turned in a great catch over the wall in foul territory while battling a Yankee fan to bring the top of the eighth inning to an end. What’s Next? As the Twins continue to try to play the role of spoiler to the Yankees, Zebby Matthews will try to follow in his teammates' footsteps Tuesday evening. To do so, Matthews will need to bounce back after a rough outing in which he allowed five runs to the Angels last time out. The Yankees will counter with right-hander Cam Schlittler and his excellent 3.05 ERA. Postgame Interviews THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Ohl 0 0 35 0 14 49 Sands 0 21 26 0 0 47 Adams 0 17 0 0 29 46 Tonkin 0 20 0 19 0 39 Funderburk 0 7 15 0 16 38 Cabrera 0 0 0 22 0 22 Laweryson 0 0 20 0 0 20 Hatch 0 0 0 17 0 17

Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (69 pitches, 46 strikes (66.7%) Home Runs: Royce Lewis (10) Bottom 3 WPA: Justin Topa (-0.449), Bailey Ober (-0.209), James Outman (-0.106) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The last time the Minnesota Twins faced the Chicago White Sox, the result was a series loss that felt a lot like rock bottom. Coming off a series win against the likely playoff-bound San Diego Padres, the Twins will look to handle the South Siders better this week at home. To do so, they'll need to keep some of the White Sox's young bats at bay. White Sox Jump On Ober So much for that. Colson Montgomery has been a problem for much of Major League Baseball, but a downright terror to the Twins. Montgomery only hits home runs when he faces the Twins, and he did so again in the second inning of Monday’s Labor Day matchup. Bailey Ober’s slider for the third pitch of the at-bat turned into Montgomery’s 16th home run, and fourth in his four games against Minnesota so far. After a Curtis Mead single and an Andrew Benintendi strikeout, Chase Meidroth would also hit a home run, to left-center field. Meidroth also jumped on an offspeed pitch, this time a curveball, and put the White Sox up 3-0 quickly. Twins Score, But Leave Runners Hanging It should have been good news for Twins batters that the White Sox would be throwing a bullpen game Monday afternoon. Early on, the Twins were unable to capitalize as they had hoped. In the bottom of the second inning, however, they put together a two-out rally. The trouble began with an error by Curtis Mead on a Royce Lewis groundball and was followed by walks to both Edouard Julien and James Outman to bring Byron Buxton to the plate. Buxton was certainly looking to tear the game open, but with newly inserted Wikelman Gonzalez on the mound, he was patient. He walked, to score the Twins' first run and narrow the deficit to 3-1. Ryan Jeffers was next up, but would leave the bases full by striking out to end the inning. In the third inning, both Luke Keaschall and Trevor Larnach would reach base on singles with one out. Neither Brooks Lee nor Lewis were able to create any more offense, and the Twins instead walked away with two more men left on base and the score still 3-1, when so much more seemed possible. Buxton continued to be the offensive engine in the fourth inning. He hit his 17th double of 2025, and while on second base, the White Sox did traditional White Sox things, and the Twins outfielder took advantage. Reliever Cam Booser threw a wild pitch, and as Buxton was sprinting toward third base, White Sox catcher Kyle Teel fired off-target. As the ball zipped past third and into left field, it allowed Buxton to trot home and cut into the White Sox lead, bringing the score to 3-2. Power and Speed in the Sixth After a strange series of rare defensive misplays by Buxton that put the White Sox up 4-2, the Twins found some more offense in the sixth inning. It started with Royce Lewis hitting a solo home run, his 10th, to bring the Twins within one. Next up, Julien hit a double off the left-field wall. Recently recalled DaShawn Kiersey Jr. would pinch-run for Julien, steal third base, and then score on a sac fly off by, you guessed it, Buxton. Pinch-Running Pays Off Again Into the 7th inning, Matt Wallner started things with a hustle double. To get more speed in his spot, manager Rocco Baldelli opted to bring Austin Martin into the game to pinch-run. The Twins would reach two outs and were at risk of once again leaving a runner in scoring position. Instead of walking away empty-handed, though, Brooks Lee came up with a big single to score the go-ahead run, putting the Twins up 5-4. With two runs being scored by pinch-runners, it's safe to say that on this first day of September, Baldelli was able to use his expanded roster to impact the game significantly. White Sox Not Done Yet With Justin Topa on the mound, the White Sox would not settle for the Twins taking the lead from them. After a single by Curtis Mead and a Michael A. Taylor (pinch-running) sighting, the previous innings' hero would make a throwing error. As Lee was unable to complete a would-be 3-6-1 double play, he also fired wide, and Meidroth wound up on second base with two outs. The White Sox did, with two outs, what the Twins were unable to do in the second inning. Brooks Baldwin doubled to tie the ball game. Mike Tauchman hit his own double to replace Baldwin at second and give his team the advantage. The White Sox, after seven, would hold on to a one-run, 6-5 lead. Those two runs would be the deciding factor. While the Twins' moves seem to push some of the right buttons, the missed opportunities early in the game and Topa's bad inning were insurmountable. What’s Next? After his recent return, Simeon Woods Richardson will make his second start for the Twins since recovering from his recent ordeal with a parasite. Woods Richardson will hope to rebound after giving up five runs against the Blue Jays. Davis Martin will bring his 4.03 ERA to make the start for the White Sox. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Funderburk 0 23 0 0 31 54 Cabrera 0 0 31 0 20 51 Kriske 0 0 44 0 0 44 Topa 0 24 0 0 17 41 Tonkin 0 0 0 37 0 37 Sands 0 17 0 0 0 17 Adams 0 0 0 0 6 6 Hatch 0 0 0 0 0 0

As the calendar flips to September and most of the United States celebrates Labor Day, MLB rosters are expanding. With that expansion, the Twins have chosen a few players to get a longer look at down the stretch. The Twins also chose to option Mick Abel back to Triple-A St. Paul after his rough outing this weekend, where he only made it through one inning but gave up six runs, five of them earned. That move made room for three total additions to the Twins roster. RHP Travis Adams Adams has already made eight appearances for the parent club in 2025. The overall numbers have not been good. In his eight appearances, he holds a 7.71 ERA, working mostly in bulk relief outings. While the numbers are unimpressive in many ways, Adams has had some moments to create intrigue at least. His five-inning start against the Detroit Tigers stands out. In that appearance, the right-handed 25-year-old was able to strike out seven batters. It'll be interesting to see if the Twins continue to use Adams as an innings-eater and pseudo-starter, or if they will try out the right-hander in a one-inning relief role. Since moving back to the minors in mid-August, Adams has pitched more in a one-inning role. With starting rotation roles likely to go to several other Twins pitchers, excelling in a one-inning role may be Adams's ticket to a 2026 roster spot. If his recent minor-league usage is any indication, that could be the intention. His four-seamer sat close to 96 miles per hour in his last two games before getting recalled, which is an encouraging sign. RHP Noah Davis After coming over from the Dodgers organization, Davis made a rough first impression as he introduced himself to Twins fans. In two appearances and three innings of relief, Davis gave up five runs and two home runs to give himself an ugly 15.00 ERA as a member of the Twins—and an 18.00 ERA if you include his appearances with the Dodgers. What could Davis provide for the Twins down the stretch with those sorts of numbers? The Twins are searching high and low for new bullpen members, and if Davis were able to limit his allowance of home runs, there is an interesting enough pitch mix there that he could turn into something. Davis has also appeared in eight games since returning to St. Paul, and held opponents scoreless in six of those outings. OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has spent a fair amount of time on the Twins' active roster this season, logging 67 games. That resulted in only 85 plate appearances for the speedy outfielder, as many of his game appearances were as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement. That was how he got into Monday's tilt, too. At best, Keirsey would undoubtedly like to compete for an outfield spot with the likes of Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Austin Martin, and James Outman. Based on past usage, this feels strongly like Keirsey Jr. is back on the roster to pinch-run and play defense as Rocco Baldelli mixes and matches the Twins lineup. As a fan, what are you hoping for out of this trio? Are there other players you would rather get a look at in the big leagues?

Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (93 pitches, 62 strikes (66.7%) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (18,19) Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan (-0.338), Brooks Kriske (-0.134), Brooks Lee (-0.035) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Reunions are supposed to be fun. This week, the Twins are in Toronto, and they can see trade deadline departures Louis Varland and Ty France in the same visit, as well as former hitting coach David Popkins. Alas, Monday night’s portion of the reunion was far from fun. Early Game Woes Once Again Twins starter Joe Ryan continued a negative trend from the weekend. As Mick Abel and Taj Bradley each had rough starts to their respective outings, Ryan got hit hard early in Monday night’s game. The Blue Jays got to Ryan for four runs in the first inning, highlighted by an Alejandro Kirk two-run home run to right-center field. The second inning also saw Ryan give up a homer, this time on a ball that traveled to center field off of Andrés Giménez’s bat. An early 5-0 deficit is not what the Twins needed with their de facto ace on the mound, after a weekend filled with similar starts to games. Thankfully, like the weekend starts, Ryan was able to settle in and mainly control the Blue Jays lineup the rest of the way in his five innings. Wallner Wrecks Baseballs The Twins would find some offense against veteran Max Scherzer. They hit a few balls hard with no joy, but Matt Wallner finally broke through. Wallner got the Twins on the board with their first run in the fourth inning, smashing a home run to right field for his 18th dinger of 2025. He wasn’t done there. After Byron Buxton was able to score on a Brooks Lee groundout to make the score 6-2, Wallner stepped up to the plate with Trevor Larnach on base and launched his second home run of the night on a first-pitch fastball from Scherzer, to shorten the Blue Jays lead to 6-4. As Wallner collected that 19th home run of the season, he also landed himself his second career multi-homer game. Both multi-homer contests and long balls with runners on base are developments this Twins offense will welcome going forward. Bullpen Struggle Looms Large Again While the 6th inning scoring burst created momentary optimism, it was quickly wiped away during the Blue Jays' half of the inning. As Ryan exited the game, Brooks Kriske entered. It felt like deja vu for this writer, as once again, the Twins game was quickly buried while the right-hander was on the mound. Four hits, two walks, and four runs later, the score was 10-4, and any positive momentum seemed to disappear. As players continue to audition for 2026, Génesis Cabrera did put together a solid two innings of work for his résumé. Cabrera was able to work around a walk to Kirk and get out of the inning by only facing four batters in his first inning of work. Cabrera did issue a second walk in the eighth inning, but was able to work around it as well, with the help of a double play turned by the defense behind him. What's Next? The Twins will send Bailey Ober to the mound to try to end the three-game skid. Ober will need to rebound from his own struggles of late to bring that to fruition. The Blue Jays counter with veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt and his 4.18 ERA. Postgame Interviews Coming soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Hatch 0 0 54 0 0 54 Kriske 10 0 0 0 37 47 Ohl 0 0 0 46 0 46 Cabrera 0 17 0 0 22 39 Topa 0 32 0 0 0 32 Tonkin 32 0 0 0 0 32 Funderburk 0 21 0 0 0 21 Sands 0 14 0 0 0 14

Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (99 pitches, 68 strikes (68.7%) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (24), Trevor Larnach (16) Bottom 3 WPA: Brooks Kriske (-0.157), Zebby Matthews (-0.112), Ryan Jeffers (-0.059) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Minnesota Twins arrived at Yankee Stadium flying high after Sunday’s walkoff win, fueled by a Luke Keaschall opposite-field home run. Keaschall’s big hit capped an excellent week by the Twins rookie, which earned him Player of the Week honors for the American League. The Twins also regained the services of leader Byron Buxton, and looked to see what viability the combination of those two might offer to their otherwise limp lineup. The Twins are a long way out, but can certainly play spoiler as the Yankees hold onto the final Wild Card spot going into this week's series. Considering all the trouble the Yankee franchise has given the Twins fanbase, nothing may feel better (outside of a miraculous surge back into contention) than messing up plans for the Bronx Bombers. Alas, that wasn't on the cards in the opener. Warren Whiffs In his first full season of major-league play, Will Warren hasn’t put together the type of season that strikes absolute fear into a lineup, but he looked like he should be feared after his performance Monday evening. The righty came into Monday with a respectable 4.44 ERA and a 92 ERA+, but the Twins struggled to get much of anything going offensively against the Yankee righty most of the evening. Warren caused the Twins offense to make weak contact for most of the evening, resulting in a lot of frustration. When Warren exited the game after 6 ⅔ innings, he had collected seven strikeouts and 11 swings and misses. In fact, he completely quieted the visitors' bats until the sixth inning. Buck Truck Returns The one place the Twins were able to get anything going against Warren was with Byron Buxton at the plate in the sixth. After striking out in his first two plate appearances, Buxton got enough of Warren's sweeper to pull it over the left-field fence. It was a much-needed breakthrough, though a small thing. In the seventh inning, Trevor Larnach followed in Buxton’s footsteps and hit his own home run. The exit velocity wasn’t much different than Buxton’s, but in New York, when a home run sails to right field, it almost always looks impressive. Larnach's 16th looked downright majestic. Zebby Impressive (Mostly) Zebby Matthews put together a very impressive start, outside of three big swings—each taken with two outs in the inning. Those three solo homers propelled the Yankees to an early 3-0 lead. Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and Ben Rice each took their turns finding the sweet spot against Matthews, for whom the home run remains a major bugaboo as he fights for a foothold in the major leagues. Outside of those mistakes, Matthews put together one of his more impressive starts. He generated 18 swings and misses, on his way to striking out nine Yankee batters. Eventually, there have to be fewer 'but's involved, but his ability to both miss bats and fill up the strike zone sets a high ceiling if he can learn to limit damage on contact. Bullpen Couldn't Hold Up Matthews departed trailing just 3-2, but as we've seen several times this month, a bullpen full of journeymen and auditioning hopefuls tends to mean that small deficits grow. The Yankees were able to break the game open a bit with Brooks Kriske on the mound, as they tagged him for two runs and he got just one out. Erasmo Ramirez also got in the game, and the Yankees added a sixth run via a Jazz Chisholm Jr. homer against him. There were exciting moments, but as it seems to do, Yankee Stadium delivered depression to Twins fans. Unlike other years, though, it didn't feel like the pinstriped mystique was the primary problem Monday night. What’s Next? Tuesday night, the Twins will try to get some hits rolling against Carlos Rodón. The Yankee left-hander carries a 3.35 ERA into his start and will look to keep the Yankees in their Wild Card position. As of publishing, the Twins starter was listed as TBD. A bullpen game is a distinct possibility. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Tonkin 0 0 18 38 0 56 Kriske 0 17 0 17 19 53 Ramírez 0 0 21 0 23 44 Adams 0 43 0 0 0 43 Ohl 0 0 0 36 0 36 Topa 0 0 15 20 0 35 Sands 0 9 0 9 0 18 Funderburk 0 0 0 9 0 9 Hatch 0 0 0 0 0 0