In 2026, the Minnesota Twins were second in the American League in runs scored.
Take a moment and let that sink in. A team that finished 8 GB of the AL Central crown and couldn’t even compete down the stretch for the 3rd AL Wild Card spot was the second best run-producing squad.
It might be easy to think “hey, the offense isn’t the problem here!” based on that statistic—but to do so would be to rely on the AL to be as historically pedestrian as it was in ‘26. The Cleveland Guardians won the Central
with 85 wins, the Houston Astros took the West at even-steven (81-81), while the 80-win Texas Rangers competed for the East and a WC berth until the season’s final weekend.
In short: it is unlikely for the Junior Circuit to be as mediocre in ‘27—evidenced by MN’s more understandable 9th-in-MLB runs scored ranking.
Though not a “problem” in the sense of being a team weakness, I am hopeful that Jeremy Zoll is given the a-okay to address some key aspects of the offense this offseason.
Five slots seem spoken for:
- SS: Kaelen Culpepper
- 3B: Brooks Lee
- LF: Emmanuel Rodriguez
- CF: Walker Jenkins (unless/until Byron Buxton returns from hip surgery)
- DH: Buxton + a rotation of breathers/platoons
The C position will of course be determined by whether or not a qualifying offer is made to incumbent Ryan Jeffers. I hope it happens, and if accepted it buys another year of time for Vahn Lackey to learn the ropes. If not offered or not accepted, it’ll likely be a Victor Caratini & Alex Jackson mix with another small-potatoes signing thrown in for depth/competition sake.
I view 2B & RF as a sort of “either or” scenario. Kody Clemens and Luke Keaschall can mix & match at one of those spots, and I’d like to see a new acquisition at the other. I don’t care which is which. I just don’t want Klobberin’ Kody & Young Master Luke inked in as starters for those two positions.
1B is perhaps the most fascinating position to posit. On one hand, cutting Royce Lewis loose after all his history would seem like a major franchise blow. On the other hand, he’s been a shell of that former self for two seasons now. A big bat at the first sack—plus one who can actually play the position—would slot into this roster perfectly to replace the almost-certainly-departing Josh Bell.
The bottom line is this: the Minnesota Twins have the makings of a strong offense, with young talent at multiple key positions. But instead of hoping for the American League to be as laconic as last season, ownership needs to keep pushing for improvement in order to retain a top-5 league finish in ‘27.
