2025 was not a year many of us probably want to remember, and that is doubly true for Minnesota Twins fans. We entered the year with hesitant hopes for an AL Central crown and a playoff berth, but we left the season wanting to punt ownership towards the nearest supernova.
Seeing as many of us are already hoping for a better 2026, even if aware that hope may be in vain (please: hope anyway, and do what you can to work towards a better year), let’s make sure 2025 stays in the past with a final look
back at the year, 25 words to describe every month in ‘25.
January: The Twins trade for Diego Cartaya, whom we will futilely hope does not flame out, and sign a bunch of players to minor league contracts.
February: Harrison Bader joins the club and Danny Coulombe returns; spring training brings its usual excitement for the season along with a few jersey number changes.
March: The Twins lose their first four games, setting a morose tone that lingers throughout the season, and Randy Dobnak pitches his final game for Minnesota.
April: Still lingering just below .500, the team shuffles the roster: they send Jose Miranda down to the minors for good and trade for Kody Clemens.
May: Amazingly, the Twins win 13 consecutive games, their second-longest streak since moving to Minnesota, sparking a 13-8 month giving fans hope for a division title.
June: So much for that hope: injuries (such as Pablo López’s shoulder) and losing streaks of five and six games drop the Twins back below .500.
July: Ownership and the front office crush our hearts, trading away 11 players at the deadline, including Carlos Correa (salary dump) and hometown favorite Louis Varland.
August: Ownership takes our hearts and pisses on them, the Pohlad family pulling the team off the market, for which the fanbase will never forgive them.
September: With a bullpen constructed out of veteran castoffs and unproven minor leaguers, the Twins tumble to a 70-92 record, and Rocco Baldelli gets the axe.
October: Fans rooting for Varland to win a ring with Toronto instead watch the Dodgers break hearts across Canada; here, Derek Shelton gets hired as manager.
November: Very little on the player front; eschewing prominent, high-talent free agents, the Twins trade for Eric Orze, an OOTP favorite of mine, and Alex Jackson.
December: Tom Pohlad takes over for Joe as principal owner — fans still won’t trust him — and Josh Bell becomes the team’s first MLB free agent signing.
Thankfully, there is just over half a day remaining in 2025 as I post this. It may be ultimately irrelevant that the calendar turns over between December and January instead of say, April 12th at 10:51 AM and April 12th at 10:52 AM, but it is always pleasant to think of a new year as a time to reset oneself and look forward with an element of hope. (Not that I expect anyone to make or keep New Year’s resolutions.)
Here’s to a 2026 bringing more smiles and cheer — have a happy New Year.
