Nick Nelson

Image courtesy of David Frerker-Imagn Images Back in spring training, Byron Buxton was asked by KSTP report Alec Ausmus if he envisioned himself moving anywhere other than center field. "No, not really," Buxton replied. "I mean, if someone else come here and is faster than me, then I will move over, but until then, I ain't going nowhere. Like … that is home for me." Well, no one faster has come along as of yet. In fact, Walker Jenkins, who has taken over center field for the final stretch for the Twins, is a below-average runner according to Statcast, and a far cry from Buxton's blazing 97th percentile sprint speed. But as the team looks ahead to 2027, the planning and decision criteria at center field might need to be a little more involved than "who can run the fastest." Buxton's desire to remain in center field is perfectly understandable. He's been an All-Star at the position in back-to-back years. When on the field, he still impacts games positively on defense. And the last time he tried moving away from center, during the 2023 season when physical limitations ruled out a defensive role, was the low point of his career. It's well established that some players aren't that well suited for designated hitter. They hit better when engaged on the defensive side rather than sitting on the bench for long spells between every at-bat. There's a fair chance Buxton is one of those players, even if he hasn't said so outright. That 2023 campaign was a trying one offensively, with Buxton batting .207 with a .311 wOBA. Of course, you wonder how much the health situation hindered his production. Heading into 2027, the Twins have a new set of outfielders set to take the reins, and we saw all in the lineup together for the first time on Sunday: Emmanuel Rodriguez in left, Jenkins in center, Luke Keaschall in right. The presence of this players on next year's team feels non-negotiable. Rodriguez has to be on the active roster coming out of spring training due to being out of options. Jenkins could theoretically start back in the minors, but I wouldn't expect it unless he really struggles in camp. And while Keaschall is not necessarily locked into an outfield role, the Twins have shown no appetite for using him in the infield since June. There are ways you could shift things around to facilitate a return to center field for Buxton. Rodriguez could open the season in a backup role. Jenkins could open the season in Triple-A. Keaschall could relocate to second base again, or spend most of his time as DH. But all of these moves would feel like kicking the can down the road, in ways that aren't even necessarily beneficial short-term, for the sake of bowing to the will of a 33-year-old player nearing the end of his contract. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the Twins giving Buxton a large say in his handling. He's earned that. But at the end of the day, Minnesota's decision-makers have to do what's best for the team, and it's future. Importantly, moving Buxton off center field also might be what's best for him. Increasingly, the hip injury that plagued him throughout this 2026 season and ultimately cut it short was flaring up while he played the outfield. On August 21st, he made a sensational diving catch in San Diego but was in clear discomfort afterward, hunching on the field for several moments before gingerly trotting off. Buxton remained in the game against San Diego, but four days later in Sacramento, he was unable to bend over and pick up a rolling ball in the gap. He lumbered off the field in pain, and that proved to be the end of his season. We're all hoping that Buxton's upcoming surgery, scheduled for later this week, does much to resolve the hip issues that have repeatedly bothered him over the years. But either way, drop-offs in the second half have become the norm for him over many years. If the Twins have true aspirations of stepping forward into legitimate contention next year, keeping Buck going in August and September will be imperative. As it happens, the DH spot is one of the few on next year's team that is completely open. Josh Bell, who has started 117 of 149 games there for the Twins this year, is headed for free agency and unlikely to return. Buxton, who made the second-most DH starts this year with 20, is a natural successor — especially because his pre-injury offensive production would look great there. That sets up some sensitive but necessary conversations between Buxton and the Twins this offseason. He has earned a meaningful voice in how the final years of his career take shape, but the organization also owes it to him (and itself) to seriously consider whether leaving center field behind gives him the best chance to stay healthy, productive and on the field when the games matter most. View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images The Weekly Nutshell: The past week felt like an official turning of the page. There are still 13 games left to be played in the 2026 season, but focus is shifting to 2027 as the reality of a missed playoff bid sets in. Following a seventh consecutive week in which the Twins failed to post a winning record, they are now a season-high nine games below .500, with their postseason odds down to 1.7%. While the stakes have faded, the intrigue hasn't entirely disappeared. A third top prospect joined the big-league team this week, giving the Twins and their fans a meaningful glimpse at a young core that could shape the next era. At this point, the final two weeks are less about where the Twins finish in 2026 and more about what they can learn for 2027. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 9/7 through Sun, 9/13 *** Record Last Week: 2-4 (Overall: 70-79) Run Differential Last Week: -14 (Overall: -62) Standing: T-3rd Place in AL Central (6.0 GB); 5.5 games out of WC Latest Game Results Game 144 | DET 5, MIN 4: Twins Keep Things Close But Fall Short in Ryan's Return Ryan: 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K Game 145 | MIN 3, DET 2: Bullpen Backs Up Kremer with Four Hitless Innings in Win Twins bullpen: 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K Game 146 | DET 7, MIN 2: Pitchers Walk 8, Lineup Can't Mount Rally in Lifeless Loss Matthews: 2.1 IP, 5 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 2 K Game 147 | CLE 5, MIN 2: Tie Game Slips Away in Erratic Ninth Inning for Gómez Gómez: 0.1 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 2 BB Game 148 | MIN 4, CLE 3: Rodriguez Homers in Debut, Bullpen Holds Slim Lead Twins bullpen: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 8 K Game 149 | CLE 9, MIN 2: Non-Competitive Loss Pushes Twins Closer to Elimination Ryan: 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 1 K NEWS & NOTES Sidelined for almost all of August by a glute injury, Joe Ryan was activated from the injured list on Monday to start the series opener in Detroit. Reliever Garrett Acton was optioned to the minors in a corresponding move. Ryan made two starts over the course of the week, looking reasonably sharp in the first and much less so in the second. He should be in line to make two more turns before season's end. Another injured player returned a few days later when Austin Martin was activated, bumping Gabriel Gonzalez off the roster and overtaking his role as righty-hitting corner outfielder. Then, on Saturday, the big news of the week: Emmanuel Rodriguez was promoted from Triple-A, adding another top prospect to the Twins roster alongside Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper. Rodriguez's arrival displaced Ben Ross, who like Gonzalez had seen very little usage during his short time with the Twins. For Byron Buxton, an outcome that already seemed highly likely has now been made official: he's shutting it down for the season. Buxton is slated to undergo arthroscopic surgery next Friday on his problematic right hip, and the team hopes he'll be ready for spring training. We can only hope that this procedure proves anywhere near as effective as the one he had for his knee after the 2023 season. HIGHLIGHTS Batting ninth in his major-league debut on Saturday, Rodriguez wasted little time making his presence known. In his very first at-bat, he sent a pitch from Franco Aleman over the fence in left center for a solo home run. Rodriguez became the first Twins player to homer in his first MLB at-bat since Eddie Rosario, whom he coincidentally drew comparisons to when originally signed out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager. Kody Clemens also supplied some power, launching two home runs among his seven hits and driving in five. He's up to 26 long balls this season, and will certainly draw some consideration for team MVP as we reflect back on the season. The overall results are more solid than spectacular, but no other position player has matched his combination of availability and performance. Taj Bradley has done that on the pitching side, though. He did miss a few starts in May with a pec issue, but Bradley has been healthy enough to throw 165 innings over 29 starts and he's been very good through most of it. That includes his latest outing on Friday, which saw the right-hander shut out Cleveland over six innings of one-hit ball. He handed out four walks but also struck out six, giving him the fifth-highest strikeout total (190) in the American League. On the surface, it appears Griffin Jax has had a fairly similar season in Tampa, with a 3.99 ERA and some success in the transition from reliever to starter. But Jax has thrown just 99 innings while dealing with elbow discomfort. His underlying metrics aren't nearly as strong, explaining why Bradley has a healthy advantage in Wins Above Replacement. Most importantly, the Twins have control of Bradley for the next three seasons while Jax is now just a year from free agency. Not every decision from last year's deadline looks great in hindsight, but the Bradley trade looks like a slam-dunk win after year one. So how about this year's deadline? It's unfortunate that the front office's acquisitions aren't contributing in the stakes we would have hoped for, but they are contributing. Tuesday's win over Detroit was exactly the type that Minnesota's front office likely envisioned as a post-deadline standard. Five solid innings from Dean Kremer, followed by a lockdown performance from the relief corps: four hitless innings, including one apiece from A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman. Those two also protected a one-run lead in the final two innings of Saturday's win, with Minter becoming the 12th Twins pitcher to record a save this season. Hoffman has been utterly phenomenal in September, with just one hit and one walked allowed across five scoreless innings. He has struck out 10 of the 17 batters he's faced. It's very reassuring to have him back in the mix for 2027, especially as some of the bullpen's previous fixtures falter down the stretch. I'd also love to see the Twins make an effort to bring back Minter as a free agent. He has a 1.56 ERA in 18 appearances since being acquired. LOWLIGHTS Minnesota's offense is sputtering to the finish line. They scored four or fewer runs in every game last week, and eight of their past nine. Jenkins continues to look overmatched in his first go at the big leagues. He came through with his biggest hit yet as a Twin on Monday, ripping a two-run double to cut down a late deficit in Detroit, but otherwise was 0-for-13 with six strikeouts. Culpepper also cooled off a bit, with three singles in 15 at-bats, and he got hit in the upper back by a pitch on Saturday night that forced him out of the game. X-rays came back negative but Culpepper sat out Sunday's finale against the Guardians. Through the ups and downs — certainly more downs than ups in Jenkins' case — I'm still glad and appreciative to see these prospects getting a chance to acclimate themselves in the majors at the tail end of a lost season. Same now goes for Rodriguez, who is 2-for-8 through two games. In fact, I'll voice that even more strongly with Emma, since going back to the minors to start next year isn't an option for him. The sample will be small, but at least he'll be able to gain some idea of what he needs to work on to hit the ground running as a big-leaguer in 2027. As we look toward a hopefully brighter future spearheaded by the likes of Jenkins, Culpepper and Rodriguez, we're also led to wonder whether Royce Lewis is going to be a part of it. He represents a key decision point for the front office heading into this offseason, and isn't make a convincing case for himself. Lewis was 2-for-20 with a single, a double, a walk and six strikeouts. He continues to put forth brutally ugly at-bats, frequently lapsing into guesswork at the plate, and has homered just once in his past 33 games. This has been arguably Lewis' worst season and yet it has also been his healthiest season, as he's reached career highs in games played (114) and plate appearances (462). Incidentally, he left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury, so we'll see if those numbers are final. The question the Twins need to ask: is there any valid reason to believe he's going to be significantly better next year? If he's not, there isn't much an argument for keeping him around, even at a relatively modest arbitration price tag. Looking over Minnesota's projected 2027 lineup, there is no more obvious place to aim for an upgrade than first base. TRENDING STORYLINE Sunday's starting outfield gave us a potential glimpse into the next era for the Twins: Rodriguez in left, Jenkins in center, Luke Keaschall in right. It's got the makings of a solid defensive alignment with tantalizing offensive upside. Keaschall has already tapped into his, with a .392 wOBA since the start of July that ranks top-10 in baseball. Jenkins has shown glimpses amidst a slow start to his career, and Rodriguez started things out with a bang on Saturday. Of course it remains to be seen how all three of these players will fit into the short-term outfield picture alongside Buxton, but for now it's all just about getting Buck right physically. Throw in Culpepper at short, plus Connor Prielipp wrapping up his rookie season in the rotation, and there is plenty of future-facing motivation to tune in for these final 13 games, especially compared to September of last year when the team was running out the string with mostly veteran placeholders. The ending of this season brings a better sense of direction and momentum, but how the Twins — and specifically these players — finish undoubtedly have an effect on the vibe going into the winter. With a likely lockout looming, we may have to hold onto this final batch of games for quite a while. LOOKING AHEAD It's a full slate in the second-to-last week of the 2026 season, kicking off with Minnesota's toughest remaining matchup: three games at home against the dreaded Yankees. With contention already an afterthought, they can't hurt us anymore, so there's that. Now all but assured of a losing record, at this point I'm now mainly just curious to see if the Twins will finish closer to their preseason Vegas over/under (72 wins) or their FanGraphs projection (77 wins). MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: YANKEES @ TWINS — RHP Will Warren v. RHP Bailey Ober TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: YANKEES @ TWINS — LHP Max Fried v. RHP Dean Kremer WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16: YANKEES @ TWINS — LHP Carlos Rodon v. RHP Zebby Matthews THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17: TWINS @ ANGELS — RHP Taj Bradley v. RHP Walbert Urena FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: TWINS @ ANGELS — LHP Connor Prielipp v. RHP Grayson Rodriguez SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: TWINS @ ANGELS — RHP Joe Ryan v. LHP Reid Detmers SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20: TWINS @ ANGELS — RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Ryan Johnson View full article

Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images It's not an exact science, but generally speaking, the scale for Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in baseball looks like this: Zero is a replacement-level player, the kind readily available in the minors or waiver wire at any given time. One is a below-average regular or decent part-timer. Two is an average regular. Three to four is an above-average, very good starting player. And once you get to five and above you're talking All-Star caliber. One way to judge the quality of a team in a given year is counting how many players reach that 3-WAR threshold. How many legitimate standouts stayed healthy enough to contribute significantly to the cause? When the Twins have been at their best, they've usually had several. For example, in 2019 the 101-win Twins had seven different players post 3+ WAR (Nelson Cruz, Mitch Garver, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Byron Buxton, José Berríos, Jake Odorizzi). Minnesota's had multiple 3-WAR players every year since the COVID season. And outside of that shortened 2020 campaign, the last time the Twins finished with zero 3-WAR players was 2011 — a disastrous 99-loss season that set off a multi-year spiral for the franchise. You probably know where I'm going with this. (Especially because it's right up there in the headline.) This year, with less than three weeks remaining on the schedule, not one Twins player has reached 3 WAR, at least by the FanGraphs calculation (fWAR). It's not clear that anyone will. Entering play on Tuesday, the leaderboard looked like this: Ryan Jeffers: 2.8 Byron Buxton: 2.6 Joe Ryan: 2.6 Brooks Lee: 2.5 Luke Keaschall: 2.3 Kody Clemens: 2.2 Taj Bradley: 2.1 Trevor Larnach: 2.0 It's very possible Jeffers surpasses 3 WAR with a good finish, or someone else with a great finish. But this could also easily be the first full season since 2011 in which the Twins don't end up with a single 3-WAR player. And that really tells the story of this team. The transcendent talents suffered injuries that sidelined them or impeded their performance for nearly half the season — Buxton, Ryan and Jeffers were all tracking for that All-Star level 5-WAR territory. Two of them were All-Stars, and Jeffers surely would have been if not for a two-month injury knocking him out of action in May. Buxton and Ryan have each posted a negative WAR since the All-Star break; both actually did have a 3+ WAR at one point before lapsing into their injury-plagued second-half slides. Among the players who've been healthy enough to play the bulk of the season, no one's been that exceptional. Bradley probably comes closest in my mind, but with a 3.95 ERA and 4.02 FIP, he's been more good great. (For what it's worth, the Baseball Reference calculation for WAR views Bradley more favorably with a staff-leading 3.1 bWAR.) Keaschall's been a solid hitter but a big negative defensively. Lee and Clemens have been average-ish at the plate, with dreadfully low OBPs offsetting their power output. Royce Lewis has played a career-high 109 games and been worth just one win above replacement. If the Twins are to improve significantly and return to contention next year, this has got to change. It makes the case against a status-quo 2027 lineup that features Lee, Clemens, Lewis and Victor Caratini as staples. I do have faith in Keaschall to take a step forward in value with more defensive stability, and of course, you're hoping that guys like Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins emerge quickly as first-division players. But it's putting an awful lot of pressure on these young newcomers if there aren't veteran fixtures leading the way. Among the Twins players that have even flirted with a 3-WAR season this year: Jeffers is heading for free agency and all but assured to sign elsewhere. Buxton is in line for potentially serious offseason hip surgery, and turning 33 in December. Ryan is (in my opinion) very likely to be traded, so long as his season finishes smoothly. This sets up the challenge for the Twins heading into 2027. Who's going to step up and deliver a full, outstanding season? Multiple guys need to answer the call. At the risk of oversimplifying, winning over the course of a season in baseball is pretty straightforward: you need great players to play great, and to remain relatively healthy. No one was able to do both on this year's Twins. And that's how you end up failing to every shake a losing record or seriously contend in the worst American League class we're likely to see in some time. View full article

If anyone is dubious of the market for Jeffers in free agency, take a look at the list of other catchers who will be available. He is the youngest and best by a wide margin. And we know from the trade deadline that catchers are in high demand among contenders. I really think a lot of folks are underselling the type of contract he'll be able to land.

Why are you putting "MVP" in quotes? Do you disagree with the premise? I'd probably agree it's not a great sign that their most best player is somewhat who played half the games, but that is indeed the reality. He's been the third-best catcher in baseball and he's the Twins' greatest source of relative advantage, I don't think we need to undersell that.

Image courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images Ryan Jeffers came just a few feet short of another dramatic, game-changing home run in the ninth inning on Monday, driving a Kenley Jansen pitch 411 feet to center where it fell into Max Clark's glove at the warning track. Just a little deeper, or a little more toward the left pole, and Jeffers would've had a go-ahead two-run homer. Despite coming up just a little short on this one, it's been a sensational run for Jeffers of late. Monday marked his eighth consecutive start behind the plate — usage that is basically unprecedented for a Twins catcher in the modern era. He's been red-hot with four home runs and 11 RBIs over that stretch. In the waning weeks of a wayward season, he's firming up his case as Most Valuable Player for the 2026 Twins. It's pretty difficult to see an argument otherwise. Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton were front-runners for much of the season, but they rank last and second-to-last on the team in fWAR during a second half in which the team has fallen out of contention. That seems to all but dismantle their cases. From there the best candidates are Taj Bradley, Brooks Lee, Kody Clemens, Luke Keaschall ... I don't think any can hold a candle to what Jeffers has done, even accounting for the extensive time he missed due to injury. Despite being sidelined for nearly two full months by a fractured hamate, Jeffers leads all Twins position players in fWAR, and ranks third among MLB catchers. He has been a regular fixture in the second, third and fourth lineup spots, out-hitting the average player at his position by nearly 200 points of OPS. And now, he's on the doorstep of free agency. Which is great news for him but less so for the Twins. As one of the better catchers to hit the market in years, coming in off a career season and under 30, Jeffers is in line for a massive payday. That should hopefully remove any sense of drama and uncertainty from the biggest looming decision for the front office: to extend a qualifying offer or not. It's the only chance to recoup any value for Jeffers after holding him at the trade deadline. By offering Jeffers a one-year contract worth roughly $23 million, the Twins stand to get back what equates to a second-round draft pick. Probably less value than they'd have gotten for trading him, but real value nonetheless. The "downside" of extending a QO is the possibility that Jeffers accepts, but at this point it doesn't even feel like an overpay. Per FanGraphs he's been worth almost exactly that amount ($22.6M) this year in 80 games. Bringing back your reigning best player on a short-term deal at that rate should be viewed as a favorable outcome, so long as Tom Pohlad and the Twins are serious about their stated intentions to raise payroll and spend at a more credible level. I's most likely a moot point. I would say Jeffers accepting is extremely unlikely to happen. He has long desired the security of a long-term contract and now he'll be able pursue it on the open market with his stock riding high. Odds are he'll end up getting multiple years at an annual salary not far below $23 million, although the attachment of a QO (which requires the signing team to part with a compensatory pick) could temper his market somewhat. In the event that he lands elsewhere, the Twins will be glad to get back a relatively high draft pick that can infuse their system with talent. But it won't do much in the short term to offset such an enormous loss for a team with eyes on truly contending in 2027. The longest-tenured Twin aside from Buxton, Jeffers not only leads the team in fWAR this year but ranks second among Twins position players since 2023. He's been a crucial mainstay for this club, and he's going to leave a giant hole. Finding some way to fill it will be the biggest order of business this offseason after the QO decision, which takes place right away. (The deadline to offer is five days after the World Series, and the player has 10 days to decide from there.) In the expected event that Jeffers turns it down, then the front office should be prepared to invest that earmarked $23 million into upgrades elsewhere. And in the unexpected event that the mere possibility of being forced to commit this money leaves the Twins too gun-shy to actually extend the QO to Jeffers ... well, any and all trust or goodwill generated by Tom Pohlad's big talk will evaporate in an instant. View full article

Image courtesy of rian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan — 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (66 Pitches, 46 Strikes, 69.7%) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (12) Bottom 3 WPA: Josh Bell (-0.30), Royce Lewis (-0.17), Kaelen Culpepper (-0.17) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): Joe Ryan's rehab process was seemingly accelerated compared to original plans. Sidelined since August 4th by a glute injury, he made one minor-league start last Tuesday, throwing just three innings, and then tossed a bullpen over the weekend, at which point he was pronounced good to go for Monday's series opener in Detroit. The stakes were high in this one for the Twins. With their playoff odds down to 3.2% according to FanGraphs, they've run out of runway to get going. To reassert themselves in the race, Minnesota needed to get on a winning streak and they needed it to start now, against a team they trounced twice at home one week ago. Ryan Jeffers, starting for an eighth consecutive game at catcher, gave the Twins an early lead with an RBI groundout in the top of the first, but Josh Bell grounded into a double play to strand a runner on third. In the bottom of the first, Ryan got off to an encouraging start on the mound, striking out leadoff man Colt Keith on three pitches, but gave up a game-tying home run to Kevin McGonigle in the next at-bat. Ryan ran into trouble in the second, loading the bases with one out. Detroit scored twice, on an HBP and then an errant force-out throw to the plate by Royce Lewis. But Ryan kept things from spiraling, retiring the next two batters to leave the bases loaded. He cruised through the next two frames before hitting a presumably pre-planned threshold and giving way to piggy-backer Connor Prielipp. Seemingly bumped into this long-relief role by Ryan's return, Prielipp handled the final four innings and pitched well outside of a two-run homer by Riley Greene, which unfortunately proved to be the difference. Trevor Larnach had drawn the Twins within one on a fourth-inning solo homer before Greene answered with his two-run shot in the fifth, putting the Tigers up 5-2. Minnesota would rally for a comeback bid in the sixth, with Walker Jenkins delivering a clutch two-run double to pull them within one. It was an awesome way for the rookie to snap an 0-for-16 slump. Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee followed with back-to-back walks, but unfortunately Kody Clemens left the bases full, taking strike three right down the pipe from Troy Melton on a 1-2 count. He was looking for a breaking ball and consequently watched a fastball sail right over the plate. From there the Tigers bullpen took care of business, with four relievers combining to hold Minnesota scoreless in the final 3 ⅓ innings. The Twins generated a little hope against closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth when Clemens drew a leadoff walk and Jeffers followed by driving a pitch to deep center, but unfortunately his 411-foot fly was tracked down near the wall by Max Clark. It would've been a home run in more than half of MLB parks, according to StatCast. From there, Bell ended the ninth inning like he ended the first: a GIDP. He leads the team with 17 and no one else has more than 10. Their fourth loss in five games leaves the Twins at 68-76, with their postseason odds now down to 2.3%. The contention dream is all but dead. In a tough game like this, we can take solace in the big slump-busting hit from Jenkins, and the generally promising return to action for Ryan, whose average fastball velocity (94.0 MPH) was actually up slightly from his season norm (93.4 MPH). There was a little rust in play but he really only gave up one hard-hit ball in the outing. Tomorrow it'll be Dean Kremer facing off against right-hander Drew Anderson in a 5:40 PM CT start as the Twins look to even the series. Notes: Ryan's first three pitches of the day clocked at 94.2, 95.2 and 95.1 MPH. It was a bit of a statement after his relatively low velo in last week's Triple-A rehab start raised eyebrows. Lee stole his eighth base, which is actually a shockingly high total for such a slow player. Keaschall stole his 17th base, which is less surprising. The Twins lineup went 1-for-10 with RISP and stranded 10 on base in the one-run loss. Another game that reeks of missed opportunity. Postgame Interview: Bullpen Usage Chart: View full article

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images In a season like this, where contention felt so viably within reach, it's easy to look back and play the "what if" game. The Twins have essentially fallen out of the postseason race by going 20-26 since the All-Star break, but they've been on the fringe of the playoff mix all year, and as recently as August 20th their postseason odds were in the 40% range. You wonder how differently things might have gone with a few different variables in place — some in the team's control, some not. What if Pablo López didn't go down with a season-ending injury on the first day of spring training? What if high-octane arms like Mick Abel or David Festa were healthy enough to contribute at all? What if the Twins didn't trade Louis Varland at the deadline last year, and were anchoring their shaky bullpen with the best reliever in the league? What if they made any kind of serious investment in the roster last offseason, rather than waffling over ownership uncertainty? What if, what if. It does little good to lament over it now. What I will say is that, given the in-season circumstances and cards currently in their hand, the Twins are giving it their all. It's proving to not be enough. But I will say that I appreciate it, and it gives me a sense of optimism for what lies ahead. Look around and you can see the signs of a team, manager and front office that are trying their best to push all chips into the middle of the table. It started, of course, with the trade deadline, which was one of Minnesota's most aggressive in memory. They traded away a bundle of prospects, including one of their best young arms, for immediate pitching help. Has it paid off? Not really, the Twins are 23rd in relief pitching ERA since the deadline. But the effort matters. Then you turn your attention to roster moves and player usage decisions. A few things stick out to me: Impact prospects joining the fight. Some people might argue that it took too long for Kaelen Culpepper and especially Waker Jenkins to get the call. Well, Minnesota's best two MLB-ready prospects have arrived and they are playing every day — including Jenkins who is the youngest player to don a Twins uniform since a rookie Byron Buxton in 2015. Whatever concerns the front office harbored about starting service clocks or losing development time to a lockout were cast aside in the name of urgency. Speaking of Buxton, he has repeatedly pushed himself to play through a hip injury that is clearly rather serious. Even now, as he acknowledges that offseason surgery is in the cards, Buxton is attempting to get back on the field. Meanwhile, Joe Ryan is set to return to the mound today in Detroit, and while I wouldn't say he was necessarily rushed, it's clear he was making haste to come back, logging only one three-inning rehab outing. He should be able to get in four more starts, knowing each one counts. Ryan Jeffers, despite missing almost two months with a fractured hamate, leads all Twins in fWAR. He has been their best player and Derek Shelton is leaning on him hard here in the home stretch. Sunday's game marked Jeffers' seventh consecutive start behind the plate. Previously he had never started more than three in a row all year. All of these things point to a team going all-out to try and make hay with a clear opportunity in what was a wide-open American League. Unfortunately, it just hasn't been enough. Culpepper's been good but Jenkins has struggled initially, which is unsurprising for a 21-year-old getting his first taste of the majors. Buxton and Ryan, for all their efforts to overcome injuries, have nonetheless been absent and/or ineffective in the second half. And while Jeffers has delivered abundantly in his sudden full-time role, ripping four homers and driving in 11 over seven games, the Twins have remained stuck in neutral. The result has been the same as the last two years: a postseason pursuit that seemed plausible at midseason turning into a pipe dream by September following a second-half collapse. But what struck me as most frustrating about 2024 and 2025 is how the team seemed to simply give up. Trevor Richards was a laughable sole addition at the deadline two years ago for a team that appeared playoff-bound. Last year's decision to sell was understandable, but the historic firesale was a white flag of epic proportions. In both instances, the team was sending strong signals of apathy, which bled over into stagnant offseasons, and it left the fanbase feeling sour. I'm getting no signals of apathy this year. Will it translate to bolder team-building moves this offseason and a better outcome in 2027? Nothing is guaranteed, but I've seen enough to feel more confident in Twins leadership moving forward than I have in some time. View full article

The computer is just measuring what happens on the field, though. And what it's telling us is: Brooks Lee doesn't hit the ball hard consistently, doesn't draw walks, doesn't control the zone, and doesn't run well. He does pull the ball in the air and he can hit some home runs, which I'm not discrediting. I just haven't been overly impressed by the totality of his game.