The Twins had a purported “fire sale” last summer, but they didn’t completely clear out the racks of all their talent. They still have All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton on the field – while he’s still healthy – and All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan. However, they have decimated much of their depth, and it will be up to the farm system to replenish much of it.
They enter the season with Derek Shelton as their new skipper. He never won more than 76 games in four full seasons with the Pirates. The Twins are projected
by most to be around that number of wins this season.
Minnesota Twins
2025 record: 70-92
2026 PECOTA projection: 78-84
2026 ZIPS projection: 79-83
Manager: Derek Shelton
Key additions: Anthony Banda, Josh Bell, Vidal Bruján, Victor Caratini, Tristan Gray, Zak Kent, Ryan Kreidler, Eric Orze, Taylor Rogers, Eric Wagaman
Key losses: Mickey Gasper, Edouard Julien, Christian Vázquez
Offense
The Twins had the eighth-fewest runs in baseball last year, and that was with Carlos Correa, Harrison Bader, Ty France, and Willi Castro on the roster for more than half the season. The team went 19-35 after the July 31 trade deadline. Buxton played in 126 games last year, the most he had played in a season since 2017. Josh Bell will be on his eighth team in seven seasons, but he has put up an above-average OPS+ in each season since 2020. Rookie Luke Keaschall had an impressive debut last year, including hitting 9-for-25 (.360) with a home run against the Royals.
Pitching
Trade rumors swirled around Ryan all off-season, but the Twins held onto him after he set career-bests in innings (171), wins (13), strikeouts (194), and ERA (3.42). Taj Bradley had a 6.61 ERA in six starts with the Twins after they acquired him from the Rays last summer. Mick Abel was a former top 100 prospect acquired from the Phillies for Jhoan Duran, and he had a 2.20 ERA in 18 starts in Triple-A last year. The bullpen had a 4.93 ERA after the trade deadline and has been completely overhauled from last year. The Twins bring back veteran Taylor Rogers, but much fo the rest of the staff is inexperienced.
The Twins have been a thorn in the side of the Royals, and will likely to continue to be pesky, even if they don’t win as many games as they used to. With the sale of the team now finalized, they could move into a different direction and look to build back up this summer. Or perhaps the debt issues that have plagued the franchise will continue to direct them towards austerity measures that could lead to Ryan and Buxton being traded. Either way, they have just enough talent to make them a pain to face up against.
