The 2024 season ended in heartbreaking fashion for Twins fans. Despite Minnesota looking all but locked into a playoff spot at the start of September, a brutal 9-18 record combined with a shocking 17-8 surge for the Tigers was enough to leave Twins players on their couches back home come October. While a fourth-place finish in the AL Central was tough to swallow, the team’s core of talent was largely set to remain in place for 2025, providing some reason for optimism that a team that was held back from the playoffs by one terrible and injury-filled month could turn things around and contend again.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to pass. The Twins made were largely inactive for the majority of the offseason, with only minor additions to the roster like the signings of Ty France, Danny Coulombe, and Harrison Bader. In a division where rival clubs made notable additions or reunions (e.g. Gleyber Torres, Jonathan India, Jack Flaherty, Michael Wacha) it was fair to wonder if Minnesota had done enough to keep up. So far, it seems they did not. The Twins are 7-15. That’s the third-lowest win percentage in all of baseball ahead of only the lowly White Sox and Rockies.
A rotation that’s thrown the third-fewest innings in the majors this year with a subpar 4.30 ERA is one factor, but the biggest culprit is a lineup that’s hit just .211/.282/.338 with a wRC+ of 82. That’s 18 points worse than league average and leaves Minnesota with the fifth-worst offense in the league. Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner have been bright spots, but the latter is now on the injured list. Meanwhile, players like Edouard Julien, Ryan Jeffers, and Trevor Larnach have failed to perform. Shortstop Carlos Correa has followed last year’s outstanding .310/.388/.517 performance with a .194/.256/.319 slash line in 78 plate appearances. Royce Lewis has yet to play a game, owing to a hamstring strain.
Dire as things may look, the Twins aren’t even 15% of the way through their season; perhaps it’s too soon to make any grand pronouncements about a club with what looks to be a solid core on paper. After all, the aforementioned Tigers of last season suffered an 8-18 stretch from June 5 to July 4 that featured an even lower winning percentage than Minnesota’s current record, and they went on to fight their way back into contention even after trading away four veterans — including the previously mentioned Flaherty — at the deadline.
That’s not the full story, of course. While the 162-game schedule is a marathon, a major checkpoint is approaching much more quickly: trade season. The trade deadline is 100 days from today. The Twins would have to play at a 91-win pace from now on to even make it back to .500 in time for the All-Star break. It’s anyone’s guess if the club would consider parting ways with major pieces under team control like Pablo Lopez or Jhoan Duran, but even shipping out rental pieces like France, Coulombe, Willi Castro and Harrison Bader would surely stifle the club’s attempts to contend.
The most important x-factor for the Twins, as is the case most years, will be player health. Lopez is expected back from the injured list later this week to help out the rotation, while the lineup figures to receive reinforcements when Wallner and Lewis are activated next month. If those key players make it back healthy and effective within the next few weeks, that could spark a turnaround. By the same token, a setback for any of those players or a long-term injury for another key player could wind up being a nail in the coffin for a team that has given itself very little margin for error with such a dismal start.
What do MLBTR readers think the future holds for the Twins? Will the club be able to get healthy and bring playoff baseball back to Minnesota, or are the Twins staring down a second consecutive disappointing finish? Have your say in the poll below:
The Ts gonna T.
Vibes out of the clubhouse have been bad since the slump to end last season. Leadership should have been axed at that point (meaning both Falvey and Baldelli). They weren’t, and now we’re witnessing what happens when there is no accountability. Death spiral continues. Twins are cooked.
I “hope” you’re wrong, but you’re probably right. Not judging them though, they can still rebound!
Keaschell is a difference maker.
Another player I have liked for the past few seasons is Harrison Bader, I was really hoping the White Sox would have signed him this off season. He is off to a good start with the Twins. Keep Bader, and maybe the Twins can get some pitching for Buxton.
Even if Keaschell is the rookie of the year, and Lee and Lewis return to form, I dont think they can outrun the Tigers or the Guardians this season. I dont think they have the pitching.
“The Twins made were largely inactive for the majority of the offseason…”
If only Lewis could ever remain healthy. Alas, that may never be.
This is what a baseball team with multiple Zion Williamsons looks like.
I keep expecting to come on this site or others to read that Baldelli has been fired. Maybe ownership does not want to make a change in the midst of trying to sell the team, but surprised coming off a bad end to the season last year had him hanging by a thread at the beginning of this season that he has not been relieved of his duties yet. Does the team have the talent? Is coaching and managing inadequate? Results show that something is not working.
Firing Rocco and then just giving it to Tingler doesn’t seem like enough of a change. I have defended Rocco many times, and I don’t really think this is only a Baldelli problem, but it just might be time for a new perspective in the dugout
Now, hiring someone into that role is likely difficult. Because most managers do get axed by new ownership.
I think the Twins will rebound a little, maybe win 82 games.
Promote Zebby Mathews, let your starters pitch, stop playing games with Duran and Jax, and stop managing like you’re playing strat-o-matic baseball, and let the talent take the team where it belongs.
Or Baldelli can continue to be Baldelli…then no.
No. Not with Baldelli. Festa hasn’t allowed a run all year. And he’s taken out after a soft hit to right center and he’s out of the game.
Two batters later, both runners score.
This isn’t strat-o-matic baseball.
Yes, plenty of time
The Pohlads are betas, so they surround themselves with a beta GM and a beta dugout manager. Some players may be alpha, but they can’t break through the beta fog that hangs thick everywhere in Twins world. A new owner, new GM and anyone on the planet not named Baldelli is the only way to escape the beta fog.
Every accusation is a confession.
And your post is an accusation.
I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. Would you prefer correlation is not causation?
Up to you. Whatever way you want to embrace your beta.
Talking down to a beta (what ever that means) doesn’t make you an alpha. It makes you a master beta. And my post was an observation. Not an accusation. Cheers.
What a completely irrelevant response. Alpha Beta stuff is juvenile
Most of the people that are obsessed with the Alpha Beta stuff are betas themselves trying to pretend they are alphas, when in reality they are sore losers. You either have it or you don’t.
Said the beta.
It’s now or never. A sweet of the ChiSox and a series win at home vs LAA would be big.
As an Angel fan, I consider it a huge compliment that you are satisfied with 2 out of 3 against the Angels.
Maybe we, the Angels, are not that bad.
It is a huge compliment haha. Angels look solid this year. Hope that is a good sign for their future!
They’ll bounce back moderately and finish slightly above .500, much like the Braves.
Who cares, go wolves!
what no mention of the Front office and its 8 years of failure to build an organization that cranks out top level pitching as promised… of the Manager who Never seems to get the best out of the talent he gets… Or Correa who has a sore wrist from last season that hasn’t been attended to.. What the Twins need the Most are owners who will actually live up to their promise, owners who are baseball fans, who love the game and the fans and the community and are willing to spend ( Like the Po’lads promised but failed to deliver) and act like this is a game … instead of an entertainment business where they serve elephant dung and claim it is a circus..
100%!
4 words. Regression to the mean.
Almost 2000 votes. Impressive.
Ownership has made a huge blunder in separating the day to day revenue and the sale price of the team. They have chosen to save 40-50MM in roster additions and will lose hundreds of MM in the sale of their team.
If they all have a career year, they’re the best lineup in baseball. -Twins management
Trade Byron Buxton & Griffin Jax to the Phillies for Johan Rojas, Gabriel Rincones Jr. & Mick Abel. Twins get a young, fast and inexpensive CF, plus two of the Phillies top 10 prospects (#8 & #9). Have floated this trade out there before bc I think it makes a ton of sense for both clubs.
This doesn’t make any sense for the Twins
No one wants glass boy Buxton
I’d do it just to get rid of Buxton’s contract to be honest. He’s signed through 2029. I want them to dump his and Correa’s contracts.
They should give guys like Jose Miranda a chance…
It starts with ownership. It is evident that they are not committed to building a winner. The management has grown stale. Some players lack health and perhaps enthusiasm, knowing they will not be supported by ownership. There is little evidence that they can turn this season into a winning season. They will finish 4th in the division.
Doesn’t look good for them. Too many red flags and guys not performing as they should.
“Dire as things may look” is NOT PROPER ENGLISH. You can’t just leave “as” out to begin the sentence. It’s not optional! Grammar is not optional when you’re being paid to write.