Cody Christie

The Minnesota Twins community is mourning the loss of a member of its 1987 championship club. Tom Nieto has passed away at the age of 65 after suffering a heart attack, according to a message shared by his family and later confirmed by the organization on Monday. Nieto’s sister shared the news publicly, noting that he passed on March 27 while in Florida with his family. She described a man whose strength and resilience left a lasting impact on those closest to him, a sentiment that has echoed throughout the baseball world since the announcement. The Twins also released a statement shortly after the news became public. Nieto’s baseball journey began when the Twins selected him in the 31st round of the 1979 MLB Draft. Instead of signing, he chose to continue his development at the collegiate level, eventually going to Oral Roberts before being selected in the third round of the 1981 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. A highly regarded prospect in the Cardinals system, Nieto worked his way through the minors before making his big league debut in 1984. He made an immediate impression during his rookie campaign, posting a 109 OPS+ across 33 games and establishing himself as a capable backstop. He had a role on the Cardinals team that reached the 1985 World Series, but St. Louis ultimately fell to the Kansas City Royals in a seven-game series. Two years later, Nieto found himself on baseball’s biggest stage again, but this time on the opposite side. After a stint with the Montreal Expos, the Twins acquired him during the 1987 season. In Minnesota, Nieto appeared in 41 games as part of a team that would go on to win the World Series, defeating his former Cardinals club in seven games. While his offensive numbers with Minnesota were modest, Nieto played a supporting role on a roster that has become one of the most beloved in franchise history. Across two seasons with the Twins, he appeared in 65 games and contributed as a depth option behind the plate during a championship run. In total, Nieto spent seven seasons in the big leagues. Following his playing days, Nieto transitioned into coaching, where he made perhaps an even greater impact. He spent seven seasons with the New York Yankees organization from 1995 through 2002 and later joined the New York Mets, working under manager Willie Randolph. With the Mets, Nieto served as both a catching instructor and first base coach. For Twins fans, his name will always be tied to 1987, a season that remains one of the franchise's defining moments. Today, it also serves as a reminder of the people who helped make that run possible and the lasting impact they leave behind. View full rumor

Image courtesy of © Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Defense has always been one of baseball’s most difficult elements to quantify, but that reality has changed dramatically in recent years. With the introduction and continued refinement of Statcast, teams and fans alike now have access to advanced metrics that provide a clearer picture of what is happening on the field. The Statcast Era, spanning (for the purposes of their defensive numbers, Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value) 2018 through 2026, provides a meaningful sample to evaluate how the Minnesota Twins have performed defensively over time. Across those nine seasons, the Twins have experienced both highs and lows in the field. Their best defensive performances came during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. The 2021 club led the way. Fielding Run Value had them as 21 runs better than an average team, mainly due to standout performances: Andrelton Simmons contributed 16 OAA at shortstop, while Max Kepler and Byron Buxton added 8 and 7, respectively, in the outfield. In the shortened 2020 season, the Twins posted 7 FRV, led by Buxton in center field and by versatile contributions from Marwin Gonzalez, Jake Cave, and Ehire Adrianza in various positions. At the other end of the spectrum sits the 2025 season, which marked Minnesota’s worst defensive showing of the Statcast era. The team combined for -22 FRV, with several players struggling significantly. Edouard Julien posted -8 Outs Above Average, while Willi Castro finished at -6. Trevor Larnach, Brooks Lee, and Matt Wallner each contributed -4 OAA. (Yes, OAA and FRV are on different scales, but directionally, you can see how so many defenders collecting fewer outs than expected led to the team preventing fewer runs.) Notably, half of the 10 worst defenders from that roster are no longer in the organization, including Julien, Castro, Jose Miranda, Carlos Correa, and Carson McCusker. Despite that turnover, the early signs in 2026 suggest the problem has not been solved. Through 10 games, Minnesota is already tied for the worst FRV in baseball, at -7. While it's a small sample, the underlying issues look familiar. The left side of the infield has been particularly problematic, with Royce Lewis posting -4 Outs Above Average at third base and Brooks Lee at -2 while handling shortstop duties. Lewis showed legitimate progress defensively last season and finished with a positive mark, offering some hope that his current struggles could be temporary. Lee, however, remains a more complicated situation. He graded as one of the team’s weakest defenders a year ago, but the Twins have committed to giving him extended run at shortstop. At this point, the metrics suggest he's stretched beyond his defensive capabilities at the position. The lack of clear alternatives only complicates matters. At Triple-A, Kaelen Culpepper is one of the more intriguing internal options. He has shown some improvement at shortstop, but evaluators still view him as a below-average defender there. His arm strength could make him a better fit at third base in the long term, but he can’t play shortstop and third base at the same time. Other potential reinforcements include minor-league veterans like Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler. Both offer experience, but neither profiles as a meaningful defensive upgrade. In other words, there is no obvious solution waiting in the wings. That reality leaves the Twins in a difficult position. Defensive struggles can compound quickly, putting additional pressure on pitching staffs and forcing lineups to play from behind consistently. While it's far too early to draw definitive conclusions, the trends are concerning, especially when viewed alongside last season’s results. If these issues persist, the 2026 Twins may find themselves cementing a place in franchise history for all the wrong reasons. In an era where run prevention is increasingly driven by data and defensive precision, Minnesota’s inability to convert balls in play into outs could define its season. What has stood out about the team’s defense so far? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View full article

The Minnesota Twins have made it clear they are trying to modernize the viewing experience. Since shifting to Twins.TV last season, the organization has experimented with new camera angles, broadcast enhancements, and presentation tweaks designed to keep fans engaged in a rapidly changing media landscape. On Monday night, they added another new element. Facing the Detroit Tigers, the Twins rolled out a player introduction straight out of the Monday Night Football playbook. Instead of the usual lineup graphic, each starter appeared on screen, introducing themselves and shouting out their college or high school. It was polished, energetic, and honestly, pretty cool. The concept worked. The execution, for the most part, worked too. What did not work was everything happening behind it. As each player delivered their introduction, the broadcast occasionally cut to wider shots of Target Field. That is where things took a turn. The backdrop for this primetime style rollout was a sea of empty seats, a visual contradiction that social media was quick to notice. No one was really taking aim at the idea itself. The production value was solid, and the players seemed to enjoy it. But pairing a bold declaration that Monday Night Baseball could rival Monday Night Football with a visibly sparse crowd felt like a miss. There are, of course, explanations. The weather did not cooperate, with temperatures dipping and wind chills settling into the 20s. It was also a crowded sports night, with the NCAA men’s basketball national championship drawing attention elsewhere. Those factors matter, and they are real. But they are not the whole story. The Twins drew just 1,768,728 fans in 2025, the lowest total the franchise has seen in a quarter century and the smallest in the history of Target Field. Early returns this season have not suggested a meaningful rebound. Through the first handful of home games, the team is averaging 19,381 in announced attendance, a number based on tickets sold rather than scanned. On Monday, the official figure was 12,569. Anyone watching could tell the actual turnout was lighter than that. There is a growing disconnect between the product on the field, the presentation on the screen, and the relationship with the fan base. Some of the most loyal supporters have become increasingly vocal about ownership, and in some cases, have chosen to stay home. That is what made Monday night feel so strange. The Twins delivered something fresh and entertaining, a glimpse at how baseball broadcasts can evolve and feel more personal. It should have been a moment that added energy to the ballpark and the viewing experience alike. Instead, it became a reminder that presentation can only do so much. You can dress up the broadcast, add personality, and borrow from the biggest stages in sports. But when the camera pulls back, the reality in the stands still matters. The idea was fun. The players bought in. The broadcast team executed it well. Now the challenge is making sure the atmosphere matches the moment next time they try it. View full rumor

The Minnesota Twins will have options when they step to the podium with the third overall pick in this summer’s draft, but recent performances are beginning to shape the conversation in a meaningful way. One name that continues to gain traction is Jackson Flora, a college right-hander whose combination of production, stuff, and projection is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Industry outlets are starting to align on his value. Baseball America currently slots Flora as the third-best prospect in the class, while MLB Pipeline has him further back at 14th overall. That gap may not last much longer. MLB Pipeline recently highlighted Flora as the top emerging college pitcher in the draft, and his latest outings suggest that label is more reality than projection. In his most recent start, Flora worked nine shutout innings while allowing just four hits. He issued a pair of walks and struck out nine hitters, continuing a dominant run. Across eight starts, he has yet to take a loss and owns an ERA under 1.00. In just over 52 innings, he has limited opponents to 26 hits while striking out 65 and walking only 15. It is the type of statistical profile that demands attention, even in a class loaded with talent. What makes Flora particularly intriguing is how his arsenal continues to evolve. His fastball comfortably sits in the mid-90s and can reach triple digits. The slider has long been considered his primary secondary weapon, operating in the mid to upper 80s with the ability to miss bats consistently. However, it was his changeup that stole the spotlight in his most recent outing. He leaned on it more frequently than his slider against Cal Poly, showing growing confidence in a pitch that could ultimately round out a complete three-pitch mix. That development matters because Flora is not just overpowering hitters. He is doing so with control. His strikeout rate sits north of 30%, but just as importantly, he is limiting free passes at a rate under 8%. The ability to command multiple pitches in the zone separates him from many of his peers and raises his floor as a starting pitching prospect. Physically, Flora checks every box teams look for in a frontline starter. At six-foot-five, he generates premium velocity with relative ease and maintains it deep into outings. His fastball has shown strong shape with late life, while his slider usage includes both a sweeping version with significant horizontal movement and a firmer, tighter breaking ball. The changeup continues to trend upward, flashing the kind of late dive that can neutralize opposite-handed hitters. At the top of the draft, much of the intrigue centers around what happens after Roch Cholowsky, who is widely viewed as the likely first overall selection. The Chicago White Sox are expected to make that call, leaving the next handful of picks open to interpretation. The Tampa Bay Rays go in several directions, including prep shortstops like Grady Emerson or Jacob Lombard, or a college bat such as Justin Lebron. That uncertainty creates an opening for a player like Flora to climb. Pitching always carries risk, but teams picking near the top of the draft often prioritize impact, and Flora is beginning to look like one of the few arms in this class capable of providing it at a high level. For the Twins, the decision at three will ultimately come down to how the board falls and how they balance ceiling with certainty. Flora is making a strong case that he offers both. If his current trajectory holds and he continues to dominate while refining his secondary pitches, he may not just be in the conversation. He could be one of the most compelling options available when Minnesota is on the clock. View full rumor

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images There are moments in a franchise’s history that feel bigger than the box score. On Sunday, the Minnesota Twins took time to recognize one of those moments as Byron Buxton reached 10 years of Major League service time. It's the kind of milestone that speaks less about a single season and more about everything that came before it. For Buxton, the journey to Sunday's celebration was winding and perilous. It included injuries, setbacks, and questions about what could have been. Eventually, though, it brought him to a secure place among the most accomplished players in franchise history. Reaching a decade of service time is rare territory. Fewer than 10% of players get there, and the list of those who have done it exclusively with the Twins is a roll call of legends. Kirby Puckett. Rod Carew. Joe Mauer. Kent Hrbek. Tony Oliva. The names carry weight because of what they meant to winning baseball in Minnesota. Buxton is now part of that group, and has the statistical resume to back it up. He sits sixth in franchise history in stolen bases, ninth in home runs, and continues to climb in multiple categories that reflect both longevity and impact. Those numbers tell the story of a player who has produced when healthy and electrified when at his best. Of course, he was rarely healthy for much of that time, and because he was often playing through something even when he was on the field, he hasn't always been able to demonstrate his best. After he debuted in 2015, he struggled to overcome the injuries that often disrupted his seasons. He was optioned back to the minors for stretches of both 2016 and 2018, which delayed his reaching the 10-year service mark until 2026. For some players, those detours derail everything. For Buxton, they have become part of the story that makes this moment resonate more. It's not just about 10 years. It's about everything he had to push through to get there. That perspective makes what he did in 2025 feel even more important. Buxton delivered the best season of his career, earning an All-Star selection, taking home a Silver Slugger, and finishing 11th in the American League MVP race. He showed what the fully realized version of himself looks like over an extended stretch—power, speed, defense, and a presence that changes games. Though Buxton is off to a slow start in 2026, nothing about his standing within the organization has changed. A brief injury scare over the weekend served as a reminder of how quickly things can feel uncertain, but his return to the lineup just as quickly reinforced how central he is to everything this team does and how fiercely he wants to be on the field whenever possible. None of that quite guarantees that Buxton will spend the balance of his career (or even the balance of his contract, which runs through 2028) in Minnesota. Nor do his 10-and-5 rights (all players who reach 10 years of big-league service and have had five years of continual service with one team have the right to refuse a trade) or the no-trade clause in his contract, which rendered the wait for those rights moot and shielded him from being dealt at last summer's fire sale. The team's future is unclear, and they might approach him this summer (or later on) about the possibility of moving him. When Buxton says he wants to spend his entire career in Minnesota, though, it doesn't sound like a generic answer. It sounds like a player who understands exactly what this uniform means, and what it would mean to finish what he started. For the Twins, that reality matters. Trading a superstar is always difficult. Trading one who has become a bridge between eras; who is climbing leaderboards next to Hall of Fame names; and who has endured everything in a Twins uniform is something else entirely. It's not just a baseball decision. It's a cultural one. As Buxton continues to add to his resume, those decisions only get harder. At some point, the conversation stops being about what you could get in return and starts being about what it would mean to let a player like this finish somewhere else. Right now, Buxton isn't just building a career. He's building a case to be remembered alongside the greatest players this franchise has ever seen. With every milestone, every highlight, and every season that adds to his story, the idea of him wearing anything other than a Twins jersey feels a little less realistic—or at least a little less tolerable. What stands out about Buxton’s 10 years with the Twins? Is there a scenario where Buxton could be traded? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View full article

Velocity has been the conversation around Bailey Ober for more than a year now. It started during last spring training and never really went away. A hip issue disrupted his mechanics and, for a pitcher listed at 6-foot-9, that matters more than it might for most. There are a lot of moving parts in a delivery like Ober’s, and when even one of them is out of sync, everything can fall apart. Now, in 2026, the radar gun still isn't telling the story fans were hoping for. But Ober is not chasing his old velocity. Instead, he is building something different. The most noticeable change is subtle. Ober’s arm angle is a tick lower this season. It is not dramatic enough to jump out without a side-by-side look (see below), but it is there. That slight adjustment could be tied directly to the movement changes he appears to be chasing. A lower slot can help create different shapes, especially on pitches like his slider and sweeper, which will be critical for him to succeed at lower velocities. At the same time, he is sacrificing a bit of what made him unique. Ober has long been known for elite extension (97th percentile in 2025), releasing the ball closer to the plate than most pitchers. That trait helped his fastball play above its velocity. This year, he is giving some of that back in exchange for better posture and balance through his delivery. That tradeoff is not insignificant. If the extension is down, then the perceived velocity hitters see is dropping even more than what the radar gun shows. In other words, the margin for error is smaller. But Ober seems to understand that and is betting on command and execution instead. His pitch mix backs that up. In his first two starts, Ober leaned heavily on his changeup, throwing it 37% of the time. That is a massive jump from anything he has done previously, where he had never crossed the 30 percent mark. It is not just a tweak. It is a philosophical shift. The changeup has always been one of his best pitches, and using it that often suggests a willingness to pitch backward, disrupt timing, and avoid relying on a fastball that may be more of a liability now. He’s held batters to a .083 BA against the pitch with a 25.0 Whiff%. There are also signs that the raw stuff might be ticking in a different direction. Nearly every pitch in his arsenal has seen a bump in spin rate. His four-seamer has climbed from 2274 rpm to 2307, adding a bit more life. The changeup has jumped from 2029 to 2046, which could help it maintain separation despite similar arm speed. The biggest gain comes from the sweeper, which has surged from 2099 to 2280. That kind of increase can turn a fringe pitch into something much more impactful. Even the smallest details point to a deliberate reset. Ober is listed at 254 pounds in the game notes, down slightly from the 260 he has carried in the past. It is not a dramatic change, but it suggests a focus on mobility and repeatability. For someone trying to clean up mechanics and stay in sync, that matters. Manager Derek Shelton made it clear that this process is still ongoing. “And [Ober] did a good job in the Baltimore [game]. He made one bad pitch, the pitch to O’Neill, and he gave up two singles before that, but overall, he was pretty effective, and if we go through and starters, you know, make one bad pitch or two bad pitches, I think we're gonna be in a pretty good spot. The only thing that we really want our starters to do is give us a chance to win the game. And if we do that, then we can kind of go from there.” That context is important. Ober is not just adjusting on the fly in games. He is still building up after a spring focused on reworking his approach on the mound. There is no denying that Ober looks different. The velocity dip is real, and the tradeoffs he is making are not small. But this is not a pitcher clinging to what he used to be. This is someone actively reshaping his profile to fit what he is now. If the command sharpens, if the changeup heavy approach sticks, and if the added spin translates into more consistent movement, Ober does not need to be the same pitcher he was before. He just needs to be a better version of the one he is becoming. What are your thoughts on the changes so far from Ober? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View full article

Durability has never quite matched the talent for Byron Buxton. Over the course of his 12-year big league career, he has dealt with a wide range of injuries, many of them coming in ways that are hard to prevent. Whether it is crashing into walls, colliding with teammates, or wearing pitches, Buxton’s all-out style has often come at a physical cost. That reality made Friday night feel all too tense. In the seventh inning of Minnesota’s home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, Buxton was struck on the right forearm by a 92 mile per hour fastball from Kevin Kelly. The reaction was immediate. He signaled for assistance and headed off the field, leaving a quiet concern hanging over the ballpark. It was not the first time this spring that Buxton had been in that situation. While playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, he was hit in a game against Team Brazil and forced out shortly after. That incident ultimately proved minor, with imaging showing no structural damage. This one followed a similar path. Shortly after exiting Friday’s game, the Twins announced that Buxton’s X-rays came back clean. The official diagnosis was a forearm contusion, meaning the injury is more about soreness than anything long-term. Buxton did not make much of it in his postgame remarks, keeping his outlook straightforward. “It’s an arm,” he said. “It ain’t broken, so I’m good.” That kind of update is about as positive as it gets, given the circumstances. On the field, Minnesota made sure the game itself did not slip away. After Buxton departed, the lineup came alive with a seven-run inning that flipped the night completely. Tristan Gray delivered the biggest swing with his first career grand slam, helping push the Twins to a comfortable 10-4 win. Even with the victory, Buxton’s status remains the real storyline. The Twins are still finding their rhythm with a 3-3 record to open the year, and his presence plays a major role in what this team can be. His early numbers at the plate have been modest, but his impact extends well beyond the box score when he is healthy and in center field. For now, the organization appears to have avoided a worst-case outcome. Buxton missed Saturday's game, but the early signs point to a manageable situation. Considering his history, that alone is enough to feel like a win. View full rumor

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photo of Dasan Hill) Prospect rankings are never as simple as lining players up from best to worst. A traditional list tries to balance everything at once. Upside, present tools, age, injury history, proximity to the big leagues, and even organizational need all get thrown into the mix. It is part projection, part preference, and part educated guess. This exercise throws most of that out the window. Instead of weighing floors and timelines, this ranking leans fully into ceiling. It is about identifying which arms in the Twins system could become something special if everything clicks. That might mean ignoring risk. It might mean betting on pitchers who have barely thrown or struggled to stay on the mound. In some cases, the floor might be never reaching Target Field. But the reward, if it hits, could be enormous. Here are five Twins pitching prospects ranked purely by upside. 5. Riley Quick, RHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 11 Quick looks the part before he even throws a pitch. At 6’6” and 250 pounds, the former four-star football recruit brings rare physicality to the mound. That alone creates intrigue, but the upside comes from how quickly his stuff returned after surgery. Just a year removed from Tommy John, he was already touching the upper 90s, flirting with 99 mph. That kind of velocity rebound suggests there may still be another gear as he gets further removed from the procedure. Pair that with a legitimate four-pitch mix, and you start to see the outline of a durable, innings-eating starter with power stuff. The Twins slow-played his debut, which only adds to the mystery. Minnesota will start him in the low minors in 2026, where he should dominate the competition. There is risk in a pitcher with a limited recent workload, but the combination of size, arm strength, and pitch mix gives Quick a ceiling that extends well beyond a typical mid-rotation profile. 4. Connor Prielipp, LHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 5 At his best, Prielipp might have the most complete arsenal on this list. He has already shown what it looks like when everything is working. A mid-90s fastball, a true plus-slider, and a quality changeup give him the weapons of a front-line starter. The strikeout numbers back that up (27.0 K%), and when he was finally healthy in 2025, the results followed. Health is the obvious caveat. Years of elbow issues have limited his workload to the point where projecting a full starter’s role becomes difficult. Even after a relatively stable season, he has still thrown a fraction of the innings typical for someone his age. But that is where upside comes into play. If Prielipp can hold his health long enough to build innings, the pitch mix is good enough to slot near the top of a rotation. And if durability pushes him to the bullpen, the stuff could play up into something even more dominant in shorter bursts. There are multiple paths to impact, which raises the overall ceiling. 3. Charlee Soto, RHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 10 Soto is the definition of volatile upside. The raw ingredients are loud. He can reach triple-digits and flashes three pitches that project as above average or better. His changeup already stands out as a legitimate weapon, and his slider took a step forward when his velocity ticked up early in 2025. That brief three-appearance stretch, before his season was cut short, is part of what makes him so intriguing. The added velocity hinted at another level, even if it came in a tiny sample. There was no ligament damage, which keeps the long-term outlook intact, but missed time and inconsistent command leave plenty unanswered. Soto does not need perfect command to succeed, but he will need more consistency in the strike zone. If that comes, the arsenal is good enough to dream on a high-impact starter. If it does not, the fallback could still be a power reliever with dominant stretches. Either way, the upside is tied to just how electric the arm can be. 2. Kendry Rojas, LHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 8 Rojas is a reminder that upside is not always linear, especially after being traded to the Twins as part of the Louis Varland deal. His introduction to the organization did not go smoothly, as he struggled to find the strike zone in Triple-A. Walks piled up, and the stat line turned ugly in a hurry. For many rankings, that would be enough to push him down. For this exercise, it is almost irrelevant. Even during those struggles, the traits that matter showed through. He sat in the mid-90s with his fastball and generated swings and misses with both his changeup and slider. When he was around the zone, hitters had a hard time squaring him up. That is the key. If the Twins can help him harness the command, there is playoff-caliber starter potential with the raw stuff to miss bats consistently. Injuries and inconsistency have limited his track record, but the flashes are loud enough to keep the ceiling intact. In a more optimistic outcome, he becomes a reliable starter. In a less stable one, he still has the weapons to thrive in high-leverage relief. 1. Dasan Hill, LHP Twins Daily Current Prospect Rank: 7 Hill is the purest upside play in the system. When the Twins drafted him, the appeal was projection. A tall, lean high school lefty with room to grow and a fastball that hinted at more. It did not take long for that projection to start turning into reality. His velocity jumped into the mid-90s almost immediately, and he began overpowering hitters in his first taste of pro ball. The strikeout numbers followed (31.1 K%), and both his slider and changeup showed the ability to miss bats against lower-level competition. The command, as expected, is still a work in progress. Walks piled up (15.0 BB%), and efficiency was not always there. That is typical for a young pitcher learning to control newfound velocity and sharper secondary pitches. What separates Hill is how high the ceiling climbs if it all comes together. A left-hander with near triple-digit velocity and two swing-and-miss secondaries does not come around often. If he finds even average control, he has the ingredients of a true front-line starter. If he does not, the fallback could still be a dominant, high-leverage arm. Upside rankings are not meant to be comfortable. They require buying into uncertainty and accepting that some of these arms may never fully click. Injuries, command issues, and stalled development are all part of the equation. That is what makes pitching prospects so volatile in the first place. But it is also what makes them so compelling. The Twins system does not lack for intriguing arms, and this group highlights just how wide the range of outcomes can be. From near-ready options with frontline stuff to teenage projections still taking shape, the ceiling on this group is undeniable. If even one or two of these pitchers reach that ceiling, it could reshape the future of the organization’s rotation in a hurry. How would you rank the Twins' top pitching prospects by upside? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View full article

As part of the Twins’ 2026 Home Opener, Twins owner Tom Pohlad sat down with the media and discussed the outlook for the upcoming season. Naturally, the conversation turned toward the organization’s young talent and how to keep that group invested long term. “I think, again, what we’ve done from a culture standpoint, the relationships we’re building in the clubhouse, the leadership changes that you’ve seen, particularly with Derek Shelton at the helm, I think those things matter and as we go throughout the year here, there’s going to be more and more opportunities for us to put words into action and ultimately I think that’s what will make the Luke Keaschalls of the world and everybody else want to be a Twin for a lot longer.” When pressed about whether the organization had already approached players about extensions, Pohlad kept things close to the vest. “I’m not going to get into what we have or haven’t done.” Still, he tipped his hand just enough by naming Taj Bradley, Luke Keaschall, and Mick Abel as players the Twins would like to keep around for the long haul. That trio represents three very different extension cases, and each comes with its own set of risks and rewards. Taj Bradley: Electric Arm, Uneven Track Record Bradley has looked like the best pitcher on the roster through the first couple turns of the rotation. The raw stuff has always been there, but now it is jumping off the page. He even became the first Twins pitcher in the pitch tracking era to reach triple digits on a fastball, a milestone that speaks to just how loud his arsenal can be. The Twins believe they unlocked something after acquiring him at last year’s trade deadline. Mechanical tweaks and pitch usage changes appear to be paying early dividends. If that version of Bradley is real, then locking him up before arbitration gets expensive could be a savvy move. But this is where things get tricky. Bradley already has nearly 400 big league innings under his belt, and the results have been inconsistent. A 4.75 ERA paired with a 4.32 FIP, along with a 25.0 K% and an 8.7 BB%, paints the picture of a pitcher who has flashed but not sustained success. Committing long-term to that profile requires a strong belief that the recent changes are permanent, not just a short-term spike. An extension here would be a bet on development. The upside is a frontline starter at a discounted rate. The downside is paying for a version of Bradley that has not consistently existed yet. Luke Keaschall: Dynamic Bat, Lingering Questions Keaschall might be the most exciting player of the bunch right now. He has been electric at the big-league level, showing the ability to hit for average, tap into power, and impact the game on the bases. Early returns in 2026 suggest his bat speed has taken another step forward, which could unlock even more pop. That kind of offensive profile is exactly what teams look to build around. From a team control standpoint, there is less urgency. Keaschall is under control through 2031, which gives the Twins plenty of runway. However, that also creates an opportunity. If the organization truly believes he is a foundational bat, extending him early could buy out arbitration years at a lower cost and potentially secure a few free agent seasons. The hesitation comes from durability and defensive uncertainty. Keaschall has already dealt with multiple injuries, including Tommy John surgery and a broken arm. That is not something to ignore, especially for a player whose value is tied to athleticism and bat speed. There is also the question of where he ultimately plays. He has been a below-average second baseman, and while versatility can be valuable, not having a clear defensive home complicates long-term projections. Extending Keaschall would be a bet on the bat carrying the profile regardless of position. If he hits like a middle-of-the-order threat, it works. If injuries linger or the defensive fit never settles, it becomes more complicated. Mick Abel: High Ceiling, Wide Range of Outcomes Abel might be the most fascinating case of the three. He earned the fifth starter role out of spring training, beating out Zebby Matthews after an impressive camp. The biggest development was improved control, something that had eluded him at times in the upper-minors (10. BB% in 2025). Pair that with his ability to miss bats, and you start to see why the Twins dream on him as a potential front-of-the-rotation arm. That is the version of Abel that makes an extension enticing. If everything clicks, the Twins could be looking at a cost-controlled starter with top-of-the-rotation upside. Those are the types of players organizations try to lock up early, before the price tag reflects the ceiling. But there is a reason he was available in the first place. The Phillies were willing to move Abel in the deal that brought Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia, and part of that calculus was risk. Abel’s control has been inconsistent, and there is still a real possibility that he settles in as more of a back-end starter rather than an ace. The gap between those outcomes is significant, both in value and in how an extension would age. For the Twins, it comes down to confidence in their player development. If they believe the control gains are real, extending Abel early could look brilliant. If not, it is another example of paying for projection rather than production. The Bigger Picture What Pohlad said without saying it is that the Twins are at a crossroads with their young core. Extending players early can be a powerful tool. It builds goodwill, creates cost certainty, and can lock in cornerstone talent before prices escalate. It also comes with risk, especially when the players involved have not fully established themselves. Bradley, Keaschall, and Abel each represent a different version of that gamble. One has electric stuff but an uneven résumé. One looks like a budding star but carries injury and positional questions. One offers frontline upside with a wide range of outcomes. The Twins do not need to rush. But if they are serious about turning words into action, these are exactly the types of decisions that will define what this next competitive window looks like. Which player makes the most sense for an extension? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View full article

There is no shortage of optimism in the Minnesota Twins system, and now there is some national validation to go with it. Baseball America released its rankings of the most talented minor league rosters entering the 2026 season, and the St. Paul Saints sit comfortably at the top. According to Baseball America, St. Paul features four top 100 prospects and nine of the organization’s top 30. That kind of concentration is rare at the Triple-A level, where rosters are often a mix of up and down depth pieces and veteran placeholders. Instead, the Saints are rolling out a group that looks more like a future core than a temporary stop. Leading the way is Walker Jenkins, ranked No. 5 overall. He is joined by Emmanuel Rodriguez at No. 57, Kaelen Culpepper at No. 74, and Connor Prielipp at No. 94. No other team in Baseball America’s top five has more than three players inside the top 100, giving St. Paul a clear edge when it comes to top-end talent. The rest of the top five includes the Midland RockHounds, Arkansas Travelers, Indianapolis Indians, and Charlotte Knights. Those are strong systems in their own right, but none can match the combination of ceiling and proximity that the Saints currently possess. St. Paul wasted little time showing what that might look like on the field. They opened the season by sweeping Indianapolis on the road, handling one of the other top-ranked rosters. That series came against Konnor Griffin, baseball’s top overall prospect, before he was called up to the big leagues on Friday. From a Twins Daily perspective, the alignment is just as impressive. Four of the organization’s top five prospects are stationed in St. Paul, and six of the top ten are already at Triple A. The list reads like a snapshot of the next wave in Minnesota Walker Jenkins No. 1 Kaelen Culpepper No. 2 Emmanuel Rodriguez No. 3 Connor Prielipp No. 5 Gabriel Gonzalez No. 7 Kendry Rojas No. 8 Andrew Morris No. 12 Marco Raya No. 15 For the Twins, this creates a different kind of pressure, the good kind. When injuries hit or production dips at the big league level, the answers are not coming from fringe depth. They are coming from players who have been developed with the expectation of contributing. Ranking systems are useful, but they only go so far. What makes this St. Paul roster compelling is not just how it looks in March, but what it represents over the next six months. This is a pipeline reaching its most concentrated point, where development meets opportunity. If even a handful of these players take the next step, the impact on Minnesota’s roster could be significant and immediate. The Saints roster is the best collection of talent to start the year, but in 2026, they feel much closer to something bigger. View full rumor

Image courtesy of William Parmeter In conjunction with the Minnesota Twins, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels have unveiled their 2026 Opening Day roster, and it comes with a little bit of everything. There is returning production, recent draft intrigue, and enough raw athleticism to make last year’s track meet look repeatable. Jordan Smith, a Wilmar, MN native, begins his first year managing the Mighty Mussels. Also new to the staff are pitching coach Dylan Hawley and hitting coach Carlos Lara. The one holdover in the coaching department is Richard Salazar, who enters his fourth season with the club and his ninth in the organization. The initial player group featured 44 players, though that number shrank quickly. Once the injured list was finalized on Thursday, April 2, the roster was trimmed to the Florida State League maximum of 30 active players. Overall, it serves as a snapshot of organizational depth and a preview of who could take meaningful steps forward this summer. Familiarity is a defining theme. Exactly half of the current group, 22 players, appeared in a game for Fort Myers last season. That continuity matters at this level, where development often accelerates when players are not adjusting to a new environment at the same time. The returning position player group is headlined by Damuery Pena and Quentin Young. Pena was a steady presence in 2025, leading the team with 96 games played while hitting .241/.317/.316 (.633) and swiping 28 bases, tied for ninth most in the FSL last season. He is a contact-oriented player with speed who can impact games in multiple ways. Young is a different kind of storyline. Selected in the second round of the 2025 draft, he arrived late in the season and appeared in just five games. The pedigree stands out immediately as the nephew of former big leaguers Delmon and Dmitri Young. He also has one of the top power tools in the entire organization. Now with a full season ahead, Fort Myers becomes the first real stage to see how his tools translate over an extended run. JP Smith II showed flashes after being selected in the 17th round, including a Florida State League Player of the Week award in August. He hit .237 across 24 games, and while the sample size was small, the early signs suggested a player capable of putting together competitive at-bats. Yasser Mercedes might be the most electric returner on the roster (even though he starts the year on the IL). He led the 2025 team in both home runs with 10 and stolen bases, going an incredible 34-for-35 on the basepaths. That efficiency was not just impressive, it was foundational to a record-breaking season. Fort Myers stole 236 bases as a team, setting a new franchise mark, and Mercedes was right at the center of it. On the pitching side, Dylan Questad returns as the most experienced arm. His 6.87 ERA across 25 games, including 11 starts, does not jump off the page in a positive way, but the underlying workload tells a different story. He led all returners with 74 2/3 innings and 83 strikeouts, giving him a chance to take a step forward simply by refining what is already there. The most notable addition to the staff is right-hander Riley Quick. Taken with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Quick enters as one of the more intriguing arms at this level. He posted a 3.72 ERA across three seasons at the University of Alabama and struck out 70 batters in 62 innings during his final collegiate season. There is enough swing and miss in the profile to believe he could move quickly if everything clicks. James Ellwanger will make his pro debut with the Mighty Mussels after being drafted by the Twins in the third round. During his final collegiate season, he posted a 3.98 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP and 13.5 K/9. Like Quick, his college experience could mean that he moves quickly through the lower levels of the minors. However, there is no reason to rush him as he adjusts to life as a professional. Prospect watchers will have plenty to follow. According to Twins Daily’s top-20 prospect rankings, Quick, 11th overall, is the highest-rated prospect in Fort Myers. On the position player side, Young falls at 14th overall in the latest rankings. Ellwanger, the team’s third-round pick last year, is currently ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the organization. That level of prospect density is not always a given at the Low A level, and it raises the ceiling for what this group could become. The Mighty Mussels were rained out for their opener on Thursday. Now, they begin their season on April 3, with a double header against the Clearwater Threshers. First pitch scheduled for 3:35 p.m. CT. 2026 Fort Myers Opening Day Roster Pitchers (15) RHP James Ellwanger RHP Adam Falinski RHP Joel Garcia RHP Eric Hammond RHP Michael Hilker Jr. RHP Merit Jones RHP Xavier Kolhosser RHP Mike McKenna RHP Reed Moring RHP Mitch Mueller RHP Jake Murray RHP Riley Quick RHP Kolten Smith RHP Jonathan Stevens RHP Brian Zeldin Catchers (4) Ian Daugherty Irvin Nuñez Ricardo Peña Ryan Sprock Infielders (6) Bryan Acuña Harry Genth Yilber Herrera Dameury Peña JP Smith II Quentin Young Outfielders (3) Jayson Bass Eduardo Beltre Byron Chourio 7-Day IL: INF Bruin Agbayani (R thumb sprain), C Enrique Jimenez (R finger fracture), OF Yasser Mercedes (R oblique strain), RHP Justin Mitrovich (R lat strain), RHP Billy Oldham (R UCL sprain), RHP Dylan Questad (L oblique strain), RHP Jason Reitz (L ankle sprain) 60-Day IL: RHP Matt Barr (R elbow fracture), RHP Callan Fang (R elbow sprain), RHP Jake Hunter (R shoulder impingement), RHP Jace Kaminska (R elbow surgery), LHP Cesar Lares (L elbow surgery), LHP Cleiber Maldonado (L elbow surgery), C Carlos Silva (R forearm strain) Full Season IL: RHP Jack Dougherty (R shoulder surgery), INF Shai Robinson (L shoulder surgery) What stands out about the Fort Myers roster? Who will you be watching? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View full article

Major League Baseball dropped another sign that draft season is officially here on Wednesday, announcing updated bonus pools and slot values for all 30 clubs. Minnesota enters the 2026 draft cycle with a total bonus pool of $16,929,600, the fourth-largest in the sport. Only the Pirates, Rays, and White Sox sit ahead of them, putting the Twins in a position to be aggressive, flexible, and maybe even a little opportunistic when July rolls around. Holding the third overall pick certainly helps. That selection alone carries a slot value of $9,740,100, giving Minnesota a massive chunk of spending power right at the top. It is the kind of pick that can shape an entire draft class, whether the Twins choose to go with the best player available or try to manipulate the board with an underslot deal. The next key checkpoint comes at pick 43, where the assigned value sits at $2,333,200. That is another meaningful piece of the puzzle, especially for a front office that has not been shy about moving money around the board in recent years. Add in the Competitive Balance Round B selection at 74th overall, valued at $1,138,600, and the Twins suddenly have multiple pressure points to build out a deeper strategy. Around the league, the headlines start at the very top. The White Sox landed the No. 1 overall pick and with it a record-setting slot value of $11,350,600, the largest since the bonus pool system was introduced in 2012. Despite that, it is the Pirates who control the biggest overall pool at $19,130,700, another record and a reminder that volume still matters as much as position. This year’s increases were modest but notable. Slot values rose by 2.5% across the board, a reflection of the game’s continued revenue growth. In total, the 30 clubs combine for $358,662,500 in bonus pool money, up from $350,357,700 a year ago. Of course, teams rarely treat those numbers as strict guidelines. The system is built for creativity. Each pick in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, and exceeding the total pool triggers penalties, but there is plenty of room to maneuver within those boundaries. If a player in the top 10 rounds does not sign, his slot value disappears from the pool entirely, raising the stakes on every negotiation. That is where things get interesting for teams like Minnesota. Clubs picking near the top often look to save money on their first selection, signing a player for less than slot value and redistributing those savings to later picks. It is a strategy that can turn a strong class into a deep one, especially when paired with extra selections like the Twins have this year. Recent spending trends suggest teams are more willing than ever to push the limits. Clubs handed out $392,533,711 in signing bonuses in 2025, shattering the previous record set just one year earlier. The Orioles led the way with a staggering $21,150,840, showing just how aggressive teams can be when the right opportunities present themselves. All of this sets the stage for a fascinating summer. The Twins are not just picking high. They are picking often, and they have the financial flexibility to take risks. In a draft that rarely follows a script, Minnesota has the resources to be creative with their spending. View full rumor