The Twins will have new minority owners. Once the deal — which former team president Dave St. Peter confirmed over the weekend includes two new investment groups; one out of Minnesota and one from out East — is approved by the MLB, it’ll be the first time the Pohlads have had limited partners in the team since 2002.

Rob Manfred reveals expansion and MLB division realignment plans

What the new minority owners mean for the MN Twins’ future on the field, if anything, has yet to be revealed. But MLB commissioner Rob Manfred made an announcement on Monday that is sure to have a MASSIVE effect on, not just the league’s future, but the Twins’ too.

While doing an interview at the Little League Classic, Manfred revealed the league’s plan to expand with two brand new organizations, by the time he retires in 2029, at which time we will see massive MLB division realignment that better suits its current geography.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said during the Little League Classic broadcast that he can see expansion and realignment in the near future pic.twitter.com/0RBvNJ36wZ

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 18, 2025

“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players, in terms of travel. I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you’d be playing out of the East, out of the West and that 10 o’clock time slot, where we sometimes get Boston-Anaheim would be two West Coast teams. That 10 o’clock slot that’s a problem for us sometimes becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience.”

Rob Manfred – ESPN

In his interview on ESPN, broadcast, Manfred did not hint at where these new teams will be located, outside of at least one of them being on the west coast.

Where will the new MLB teams be located?

According to The Athletic, however, the two leaders in the MLB expansion clubhouse are Salt Lake City and Nashville. There are also rumors that Portland may be able to pry that west coast slot away from SLC.

So, what does all of this expansion/realignment move mean for the Minnesota Twins? Well, Major League Baseball reportedly wants to be an eight division league, with four teams per division. If true, that means a massive shakeup in divisions… not just in geography, but in name too.

Related: Traded Minnesota Twins Reliever Carted Off Field

More than likely, the AL Central and NL Central with cease to exist. Replacing the Central division in each league will likely be AL/NL North and South divisions, just like what we saw happen in the NFL, when they went to the same four division, two league format back in 2002.

Not only would the MN Twins play in a new division, if this is how it all goes down, but they will undoubtedly have different teams in the new AL North, as well… if they don’t end up switching to the National League, which can’t be totally ruled out.

Sweeping MLB realignment = MAJOR changes for Minnesota Twins?

Below, I made a realistic map of what the league could look like, following MLB division realignment. In this plausible new world, the Twins do stay in the American League, landing in the AL North Division.

At their side are familiar rivals, the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Lions. Joining the AL North is current interleague border rival, the Milwaukee Brewers.

My main goal with this map was to make Major League Baseball as geographically sound as possible, without completely blowing up the National and American leagues or foiling long-standing division rivals who have turned their regularly scheduled matchups into decades of baseball war.

Thus, the Cubs and Cardinals remain in the same division, but the Cleveland Guardians move to the NL, along with the Tampa Bay Rays. Meanwhile, the AL West becomes the home of the newly formed team out of Salt Lake City and Nashville falls into the newly created NL South, along with the Braves, Rays and Marlins.

Related: Another New MN Twins Arm Selected as Injury Ends Rookie’s Season

As for the Minnesota Twins, this is only one version of what could happen. Because they are one of the most northern teams located on the MLB map, one of the two North divisions is almost a guarantee. But whether that is in the National or American League, is still TBD.

Who will hate relocation the most? Maybe no team… but it’s most likely the Rockies, Royals and two Texas teams will have the furthest travel distance, no matter which league or division they wind up in.

Twins sweep Guardians in doubleheader, despite difficult morning

But none of that seemed to matter during yesterday’s doubleheader vs the AL Central division leading Cleveland Guardians, who entered the day 3.5 games ahead of the Twins. Both games of the doubleheader were close, but Minnesota led most of the day, wire-to-wire.

After a 4-2 Twins victory yesterday afternoon, Josh Naylor hit a 5th inning home run in game two, that briefly gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead. It didn’t last long, though. Matt Wallner came to the plate with two runners on, one half inning later. He smacked a 3-run bomb of his own, to put the Twins back on top, 5-3.

This felt like the most entirely probable outcome of Alex Cobb being allowed to face Matt Wallner a third time through and then throwing an actual pitch after falling behind in the count, 3-0.

Wallner got every ounce of this fastball right down the middle.

5-3 Twins. pic.twitter.com/LWIkeitJKN

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) August 10, 2024

The Minnesota Twins eventually get one more insurance run, sealing a 6-3 win and doubleheader sweep. Just like that, our favorite baseball team is only 1.5 games back of the Guardians in the AL Central. But it isn’t just Cleveland who has Minnesota quickly coming up, in their rearview.

Minnesota Twins eyeing peak of the AL mountain

Rocco Baldelli’s 65-50 ballclub now finds itself just three games back of the Baltimore Orioles, for 1st place in the American League. That’s right, only the Orioles, New York Yankees and Guardians sit between the Twins and a regular season AL title. With that would come a No. 1 playoff seed and 1st round postseason bye.

The Minnesota Twins are very, very close to being the best team in the American League… 👀 pic.twitter.com/TbULVf9o9v

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 10, 2024

Related: Carlos Correa’s Timeline for Minnesota Twins Still Murky

Obviously, there are still a lot of games left (47 to be exact), and plenty yet to be decided. But if the now depleted Twins starting rotation can hold itself together for another 1.5 months, and the lineup can get back to full health, there’s no doubt this team can, at the least, win a division crown and earn a first round of rest.

In the semi-new MLB playoff format, the top two seeds from each league get to skip Wildcard weekend. There are three divisions (East, Central, West) in each league. The two division winners with the best records out of the three, earn the two top seeds.

Related: Louie Varland to Get Another Shot with Twins

As of today, the AL Central winner should be a lock for one of two American League byes. Both the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners sit 5 games back of the Twins and 6.5 games behind the Guardians.

It won’t be easy. The Guardians have sat atop the AL Central since April 14. A handful of games may not seem like a massive mountain to climb. Nonetheless, it’s a peak they haven’t really reached through 96 games.

Minnesota Twins projected to pass Cleveland Guardians in AL Central

It’s only a matter of time, though. At least that’s what The Athletic’s MLB projection model believes. It has the Twins finishing the 2024 season with 89.5 wins, just sneaking in ahead of their division rival (89.1).

For those who remember what the pre-season projections models and betting odds said about the American League Central, this isn’t surprising. If that’s your mindset then the only thing notable in the chart above is how many AL Central teams have a chance at making the 2024 MLB postseason.

Related: Royce Lewis, Brock Stewart Both Believe They’re Ready; Twins Say They’re Not

Back then, the Twins were supposed to easily walk away with the AL Central, even after an offseason of payroll cuts. Instead, it’s been one of the best divisions in baseball. And not only that, but The Athletic’s model has Minnesota receiving a first round playoff bye, which is granted to the top two division winners in each league.

Minnesota Twins projected to receive first round playoff bye?

While the Orioles are projected to finish with a much better record than the Twins, they are in the same division as the Yankees, who the model predicts will have the best record in the AL, once the dust settles on the 2024 regular season. That means Baltimore would drop to the No. 1 wildcard and Minnesota would receive the 2-seed. Cleveland, meanwhile, squeaks in with the final wildcard spot in the league.

The year keeps changing, but my model continues to underrate the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians have a 4.5-game lead at the break, but the simulations are favoring the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. Again, subjectively, that number seems a bit off, but I wouldn’t be rushing to the window to bet BetMGM’s price of -175 for the Guardians to win the division. My money would be on the Twins at +200.

Austin Mock – The Athletic

Obviously, this isn’t the first time this projection model has reflected poorly on the Guardians likelihood of winning the AL Central. Is that a product of Mock’s model missing something, or is Cleveland looking at an inevitable 2nd half slide?

We are about to find out…

Through the first quarter of the season, it has been the Twins, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, and Detroit Tigers that have all shown differing levels of competitiveness. While Stephen Vogt’s club has led the group from the get go, a Royals team that spent has remained in the thick of things, while A.J. Hinch’s Tigers have hovered around .500. Only the Chicago White Sox, which was to be expected, have been a complete disaster.

Minnesota Twins Facing Tough Test in AL Central

If the Minnesota Twins are going to repeat as division champions in the AL Central then they’ll need to remain substantially more consistent than they have out of the gate. While the pitching staff has largely been unphased by the departures of Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda, the lineup has missed productive stretches from Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton.

Rocco Baldelli’s club hit and pitched their way back into competitiveness, but the schedule now starts to add in multiple divisional opponents. With a three-game set kicking off in Cleveland, and a four-game home series with Kansas City not far off, the Twins can do themselves plenty of favors when trying to distance themselves from those they are most closely connected to.

3️⃣ STRAIGHT DAYS FOR SLAMTANA! pic.twitter.com/U2AjBDnai8

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 12, 2024

As of Friday, there are four teams within six games of the division leading Guardians. The only other division that currently has that many teams still competitive is the AL East, which includes four teams at or over .500. There’s nobody out there crowning the American League Central as the best division in baseball. But without a doubt, it’s far from the worst.

Offseason Narratives Are Hollow for AL Central

The talk of this offseason was about what every AL Central team failed to do, aside from the Kansas City Royals. Signing Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha never should have been viewed as organizational shifting deals, but with the Twins and Guardians failing to spend any real dollars, it was only the Kings of Kauffman that were given positive momentum.

Starting out the year, Kansas City made waves with their new acquisitions immediately showing up in the box score. Cleveland was dealt a big injury blow in the form of Shane Bieber, but the collective roster came to play just as they have always done with Jose Ramirez leading the way. It took some time for the Twins to join the party, but an ugly offseason never truly provided them with momentum out of the gate.

Now with the top three teams looking to separate themselves, it will be interesting to see who has staying power. Both Minnesota and Cleveland have been here before and are expected to remain as the best bets to make the postseason. While Kansas City seems likely to fade, it remains to be seen when, and how substantially that will happen.

The early action for most divisions across Major League Baseball is largely reflective of teams feeling each other out and trying to find their way. You really can’t win a division in the first couple of months, but the Chicago White Sox definitely lost the AL Central out of the gate. As Minnesota, Cleveland, and Kansas City settle in, it will be through the heart of the summer that they find their identities.

Related: What Does MLB’s New Statcast Bat Tracking Say About the Minnesota Twins?

As the Twins continue their ascent to the top of the AL Central, it appears likely that neither Cleveland nor Kansas City will bend over. The division might not have the top-tier talent expected from the American or National League East Divisions, but they are going to produce a team that will be a postseason force to be reckoned with.

Between a two-year, $13 million deal with outfielder Hunter Renfroe that @Feinsand reported earlier today and the Wacha deal that @ByRobertMurray was on top of, the Royals now have committed $105 million in free agent dollars to Renfroe, Wacha, Lugo, Stratton, Smith and Hampson.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 15, 2023

Kansas City Royals Offseason Spending Spree

After being outspent by the Minnesota Twins by around $60 million in 2023, the Royals are now projected to spend within about $20 million of the Twins in 2024. And that’s before Minnesota makes many of their cost-saving roster changes.

Remember, Derek Falvey announced that the Twins are hoping to make payroll cuts this offseason and, outside of losing Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda to free agency, those have yet to happen. Max Kepler ($10 million), Jorge Polanco ($10.5 million), Christian Vazquez ($10 million) and Kyle Farmer (est. $6.2 million) are all still on the roster.

Related: Twins Aren’t the Only MLB Team Cutting Payroll and Blaming TV Revenue

MLB Insider Jon Heyman says Kansas City is probably done in free agency, for the most part, but still plan to be active in the trade market, etc. In other words, they may not be done. So it’s possible they finish very close to what the Twins are spending in 2024.

Does that guarantee the Royals will win more games? Absolutely not, and the projections still say they probably won’t. But what it does indicate is this. Other teams in the AL Central see Minnesota’s cost-saving proclamation as an opportunity to jump up and try to steal a weak division.

Why are the Minnesota Twins cutting payroll then?

Which, as I’ve written about before, invites questions about why Derek Falvey and Twins decision-makers made their payroll cutting plans public knowledge in the first place. But as the offseason plays out… I see their reasoning unfolding right before our eyes.

The Pohlads realized, early on this offseason, that the American League Central’s biggest annual spenders, the Chicago White Sox, were going into rebuild mode for this offseason and into next summer.

Related: TV Blackouts Will Not Exist in Minnesota Twins New Broadcasting Age

The White Sox had $175 million in player salaries on their books in 2023 (ended up being $162 million after selling some assets at the trade deadline). As of Friday afternoon, they are currently projected by Spotrac.com to spend just $118 million in player payroll in 2024. That’s a $57 million difference.

Pohlads aren’t interested in being AL Central big spenders

Well, the Pohlads saw an opportunity in their division rival ramping things down. But unlike the opening you and I might have seen — step on the gas and fully consume one of the weakest divisions in baseball — they saw it as a chance for the Twins to remain competitive, probably make the playoffs AND still save a bunch of money.

They’re probably right too, because they are heavy favorites to win the AL Central, projected to win the division by five or more games, according to FanGraphs.

As of now, it almost makes you wonder if AL Central owners are colluding to keep costs down. If the Twins can clear $25-$30 million in salary like they are hoping, then all five teams in the division will have dangerously similar payroll balance sheets for 2024. If I had to guess, I’d say they all end up right around $125-$130 million each.

Reckless Speculation: Is it possible that Jerry Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago Bulls, is sick of spending $10’s of millions more than the Twins, just to lose more division crowns than he wins?

Maybe he finally went to the Pohlads and offered a truce to keep payroll down, in order to help competitive balance and stop what was starting to be an AL Central arms race? Who knows… I’m not an insider.

Read all of our offseason Minnesota Twins blogs

It started with Kyle Farmer, who went 2 for 3 with an RBI on Friday night and spoke with Bally Sports North’s Audra Martin on the field, immediately after the game.

Kyle Farmer promises Twins will end 18-game playoff losing streak

Not only did players display confidence in the Twins chances come October 3, when the wildcard round begins, but Kyle Farmer promises an end to the franchise’s current 18-game playoff losing streak, “we’re gonna get that first postseason win since 2004, I can promise you that”.

"We're going to get that first win since 2004. I can promise you that."

Kyle Farmer chats with @Audra_Martin after the @Twins claim the division! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/PwvpblYury

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) September 23, 2023

But it wasn’t just Farmer. Interview after interview during Friday night’s celebration, Minnesota Twins players, coaches and executives made it clear that winning the AL Central is great but it’s only the beginning.

Related: Byron Buxton to Resume Rehab Assignment with Saints on Thursday

Carlos Correa wants more

Listen to Carlos Correa’s interview from the locker room. This was about 30 minutes into the celebration and the Twins’ clubhouse leader hadn’t even gotten his shirt wet yet.

When you’ve won a World Series and gained a reputation as one of the most clutch postseason performers in MLB history, a division crown isn’t worth getting your t-shirt full of beer for, I guess. Carlos started the interview by marking last night as only a stepping stone in accomplishing their 2023 goals.

"This is the first step towards the goals we want to accomplish."

Carlos Correa and the #MNTwins aren't done yet!#MNTwins | @Audra_Martin pic.twitter.com/i99WNMSDd1

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) September 23, 2023

“We’re very happy we’re in this situation, this is the first step towards the goals we want to accomplish. We just gotta keep going, focus tomorrow on working hard and go out there and try to win games.”

Carlos Correa (interview above)

Related: Twins Place Carlos Correa on 10-Day Injured List (Plantar Fasciitis)

Rocco Baldelli shows passion about team, playoff run

Rocco Baldelli showed all sorts of emotion, after the win, both in the locker room when speaking with his team, but more notably, his postgame on-field interview with Audra. I’m not sure why it took so long to see this side of the Minnesota Twins’ manager.

Maybe it’s the twin girls his wife had earlier this week or maybe he’s growing more comfortable as he ages, but I love this new passionate version of Rocco that’s blossomed right in front of our eyes over the last year or two.

Somebody get me a wall to run through. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/4T15gGQuah

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 23, 2023

Audra: “How good is it sound and how fun is it to finally be able to celebrate the division title?”

Rocco: “Yeah, that’s what we’re here to do. This is what we’re here to do. And I’m going to tell the players that we were dedicated to committing to just winning. The most important thing here is winning and bringing a winning team and a world Series back to Minnesota. And that’s what we’re here for. So this is this is just the start in our opinion. We’ve got work to do. But for all the fans here, thank you for your support. This is this is this is what we’re here for. And we’ve got a great team out there. They’re awesome.”

Audra: “You have been here before, but why is this group and this celebration special?”

Rocco: “Well, these guys care. They care about they care about Minnesota. They care about Twins Territory. They care about each other and they’re winners.”

Audra: “You guys had a vision this offseason to bring in as many good players as possible and figure out how to make it work. And it did it to a tee. How rewarding is it to see that plan come to fruition when everyone is helping out?”

Rocco: “Yeah, we needed every single guy out there, every single guy out there came to work every single day throughout this regular season, ready to work. They’re workers. They like to work, they’re tough and they want to play. And we needed every single one of them to win as many games as we did. Everyone stepped up a different day. It’s been terrific working with these guys and trust me, they’re not done.”

Celebrating your division title victory and ticket into the playoffs is baseball tradition. But sometimes, it’s about how you celebrate. And on Friday night, in between the beer and champagne showers, the Minnesota Twins made it clear there is still a lot of work to do, before the ultimate celebration begins.

There’s a fire in the belly of this team, right now. If they can return to health before their wildcard games begin, it could be a dangerous club.

Read more of our recent Minnesota Twins blogs

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

So, it’s time to look forward to the postseason, which starts on October 3. Major League Baseball recently expanded their playoff bracket to include three division winners and three wildcard teams from both the American and National Leagues (12 teams total).

Minnesota Twins locked in as American League 3-seed

The two best division winners from each league, by record, get byes in the wildcard round. That means four total playoff teams (out of 12) have 1st round byes. The Twins will not be one of them, essentially locked into the American League’s 3-seed (>99%).

As AL Central winners, Minnesota sits 5 games behind the AL West leading Houston Astros, and a whopping 14.5 games back of the AL East leading Baltimore Orioles. Only two weeks remain in the MLB regular season.

Twins Wildcard opponent still TBD…

As a 3-seed, the Twins’ first round playoff opponent will be the third and final AL Wildcard team (6-seed). It’s still very much in the air who that will be, however. We know the AL East’s Baltimore Orioles or Tampa Bay Rays will be the 1-seed and the other will settle for the first wildcard spot (4-seed). The Twins won’t see either until the ALCS.

The AL West is also undecided. Unlike the AL East race, however, the West race will dictate who the Twins’ first round opponent is. Three teams (Astros, Rangers, Mariners) are within 2.5 games of each other. Whichever takes the crown will receive a 1st round bye.

Related: Royce Lewis Makes Twins Legitimate AL Pennant Contender

The two AL West teams that fall short of the division title will battle with the Toronto Blue Jays for the final two AL Wildcard spots (5 and 6 seeds). That means there are still four realistic first round opponents (Rangers, Astros, Mariners, Blue Jays) the Minnesota Twins could land. Let’s rank them both by likelihood of matchup and where they hit on the fear meter.

Twins possible wildcard opponents ranked from most likely to least likely

1. Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays are the AL’s 5-seed, for now, but ESPN Analytics gives them a worse chance of making the playoffs than the Rangers, who currently trail them by .5 games in the wildcard race.
2. Texas Rangers – If the season ended after Sunday night, the Twins’ wildcard opponent would be the Rangers, who currently sit one game ahead of the Mariners for the 6th and final AL playoff seed and .5 games back of the Blue Jays for the 5-seed.
3. Seattle Mariners – The Blue Jays, Rangers and Mariners all have similar odds of landing the Twins as their first round playoff opponent, but as of Monday morning, the Mariners sit on the outside of the AL Postseason bracket.
4. Houston Astros – The Astros currently sit 2.5 games ahead in the AL West, meaning a wildcard round bye is theirs to lose. It’s hard to believe such a World Series proven team would choke under late regular season pressure. Still, this matchup is far from impossible.

Twins possible wildcard opponents ranked from most scary to least scary

1. Houston Astros – This one is obvious. The Houston Astros are one of the greatest playoff teams in modern baseball history. The Twins want nothing to do with that smoke, as they try to end an 18-game playoff losing streak.
2. Toronto Blue Jays – Any team other than Houston
3. Seattle Mariners – Any team other than Houston
4. Texas Rangers – Any team other than Houston (and the Twins had their number in the regular season)

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Twins vs Guardians: What’s on the line this week?

Minnesota landed in Cleveland last night, up 5 games up in the division, with a 95% chance (Fangraphs.com) at winning it and making the playoffs. In order to retain any hope whatsoever of catching the 1st place Twins, before the season expires on October 1, the Guardians must take two of three this week, maybe even sweep.

For the Twins, this is their 2nd opportunity in the last 1.5 weeks to bury their most competitive division foe and burst any dream bubbles their fanbase still has about playing in the 2023 postseason. Twins manager, Rocco Baldelli, said as much after his club failed to sweep the Texas Rangers on getaway Sunday.

“We’re playing good baseball. The guys are working hard, and I think we’re ready,. The guys know what we’ve got to accomplish, and I’m excited to watch it.”

Rocco Baldelli (via Star Tribune)

Upcoming Schedules Favor Minnesota Twins

In all reality, and when you bring context into the conversation like I will below, the Guardians need a sweep if they are going to put any heat on the Twins, down the stretch. If they fail there’s no realistic path to a Guardians postseason berth, given the remaining schedule they and the Twins have remaining.

After Wednesday’s finale in Cleveland, Minnesota will have 7 series remaining in the 2023 season. Just two of those series (Rays, Reds) are against playoff contenders with > .500 record. The Guardians have 8 series left to play and FOUR of them (Giants, Rangers, Orioles, Reds) are vs playoff contenders with > .500 records.

Minnesota has more talented depth and fire-power than Cleveland does, even after the Guardians claimed the three best pitchers waived by LAA last week, ahead of the Twins. But Rocco Baldelli & Co are expecting the return of Alex Kirilloff, Jorge Alcala, Chris Paddack and Byron Buxton from the injured list, sometime in September, too.

Guardians to face Twins’ best pitchers

So to reiterate: Cleveland needs to win (probably sweep) this week’s opening series vs the Twins. But doing so will be much easier said, than done. That’s because the Guardians will have to beat the Twins’ best two starting pitchers, Pablo Lopez (164 IP, 3.72 ERA) and Cy Young candidate, Sonny Gray (157 IP, 2.92 ERA), in games one and two.

Then, after battling two of the AL’s top pitchers on Monday and Tuesday, Cleveland will face the Twins’ most likely 3rd playoff starter, Joe Ryan, in the series finale (Wednesday). Joe has a 2.84 ERA and .562 OPS Allowed in 104.2 healthy innings this season. That includes his first two starts, since coming off the IL a couple of weeks ago (11 IP, 1.64 ERA, 14 SO).

The Joe Ryan Experience: It was good. pic.twitter.com/z6TW4XGgmd

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 2, 2023

If you’re the Cleveland Guardians fanbase on Monday morning, you may not realize it, but your favorite baseball team has a STEEP hill to climb if they want any chance of catching the Minnesota Twins and stealing the AL Central crown. The odds are heavily stacked against them.

But still, baseball games are played on the field, not on probability projections, and the Twins have to go into Progressive Field this week and knock the 2022 champs out of the race, before finishing their schedule strong. That starts with a victory tonight. Do not give them any feeling of hope during this series.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

There were a few seemingly positive trades but the Twins went on to post the worst record in the division from August 1 and ended up finishing third –14 games behind Cleveland — with a 78-84 losing record and no playoff action for the second year in a row.

Whether you know how to bet on baseball or not, that kind of collapse might not instill much confidence for the upcoming season. But a lot has gone on away from the diamond in the offseason. After the failure of last year, Twins fans can be forgiven for feeling cautious. But the Twins do look as though they are in good shape for the new campaign. Could this be the year the team goes all the way?

There will be plenty of fans that will be shaking their head at such a proclamation. But the change to the roster and the feeling at the club really does suggest that the mistakes of last year have been learned.

New season, new faces

Rocco Baldelli has told Twins fans to expect faster baseball with more action. But they would probably counter that they don’t really care what the team plays like – as long as it wins. The moves in the offseason look like they could make that a reality. Carlos Correa was aggressively pursued and even when it looked like he was San Francisco-bound, then New York, before finally signing on the dotted line for six years in Minnesota.

Acquiring Christian Vazquez definitely upgrades the team at catcher, and infielder Joey Gallo will also improve the Twins. The other notable move was swapping Luis Arreaz for the much in-demand Pablo Lopez. These are the kinds of trades that Minnesota really needed to make this offseason to make the team better – but also to convince the fans that they weren’t just at the beginning of a slump.

The Twins are in a good position in that the Central is probably the weakest division in the American League. That’s not to say that there are not some demanding games ahead, but they will not be in the same class as having to better the Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays, or Astros, Mariners and Angels.

The pitching staff should be good this year. Pablo Lopez has been named the Opening Day starter. Sonny Ryan and Joe Ryan can both make the Twins a real threat from the mound, while the big hitters will be in effect as well. The outfield is the possible question mark and it could be crucial how the season begins for Minnesota.

Tough start

That’s why the schedule in April could put a dampener on all the excitement felt at Target Field right now. There are some winnable games but the Twins will also face the Yankees and the Astros, as well as the White Sox and Red Sox. A losing record at the end of April obviously doesn’t predict how the entire year will go, but it could make a few people nervous after the way everything panned out last time.

April and May were very good last year for the Twins and it was only later in the season that everything went south. Not having that to fall back on is something that will be in the minds of the players that went through it all in 2022.

This Year

When it comes down to it, it does feel as though the AL Central title is the least that should be expected from the Minnesota Twins this year. The ball club has definitely noticed that something needed to be done and acted. It will be up to the players to come through now – and make sure they keep putting it in until the regular season ends and they can concentrate on playoff baseball.

Sure, it took two failed physicals elsewhere to get here, but who cares? All that matters is the Twins now roster a top-3 MLB shortstop, in his prime, and he’ll play his home games at Target Field for the foreseeable future.

Carlos Correa has passed his Twins physical. Announcement coming today.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 11, 2023

2023 Twins are already better than 2022 squad

This is the second time Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have had Carlos Correa dropped into their laps. Last season, the addition of Correa made the Minnesota Twins a playoff possibility, in a weak American League Central.

Unfortunately, the roster battled injuries throughout the season and Byron Buxton played at 50% health for most of it. Still, it was the starting rotation that hurt them most.

In 2023, though, the Twins should be better in all three phases of the game. Of course, Byron Buxton could miss over half the season and that would completely change the conversation. But if we assume they stay relatively healthy, which we must if forecasting the future of any team, the Twins already look playoff caliber on paper.

2023 Twins version 4.0 pic.twitter.com/mMAdhzKTCp

— Nash Walker (@Nashwalker9) January 10, 2023

Infield/Outfield Both Better

Gio Urshela is gone so Jose Miranda will play 3rd base, Jorge Polanco 2nd base and Luis Arraez 1st base. The Twins upgraded at catcher when they signed Christian Vazquez to a 3 year, $30 million deal. Throw Kyle Farmer at SS and it’s an extremely mediocre infield. But with Correa at shortstop, it’s suddenly bursting with talent, potential and veteran savvy.

If we assume Byron Buxton stays healthier in 2023, the outfield is immediately improved from last season. Remember, Buxton’s knee injury forced him to DH for 1/3 of his appearances in 2022.

I am so excited to watch Byron Buxton again this year. pic.twitter.com/TaoxXn09vH

— Nick Nelson (@NickNelsonMN) January 2, 2023

Add in Joey Gallo and Max Kepler (for now) and you have one of the best defensive outfield in Major League Baseball. Offensively, the corner outfield presents a likely weak spot. But Gallo provides power the Twins didn’t have a year ago. If his wrist is healthy, Alex Kirilloff could provide an offensive boost at DH, 1B, LF and RF.

Pitching Staff Way Better

In the starting rotation, the 2023 Minnesota Twins look exponentially better off than they did in 2022. Kenta Maeda, Tyler Mahle and Bailey Ober are all expected to start spring training healthy.

Insert those three into a rotation with Sonny Gray (’22: 3.08 ERA, 125 ERA+) and Joe Ryan (’22: 3.55 ERA, 109 ERA+), by far the best and most consistent starters for the Twins in 2022, it might be top-10 entering the regular season.

Is there a bona fide #1 starter on staff? A guy we can all feel comfortable about throwing out there vs any lineup or any top ace in the league? No, but a healthy Mahle is a really good #2 on a great staff and Gray wouldn’t look bad in that spot either.

Joe Ryan projects as an eventual #2 but already stands as a solid #3 starter. A healthy Maeda should be a really good #3, as well, if he returns near his former form. And Bailey Ober, at worst, is a really good #4 option in any rotation.

Then there’s Josh Winder, Luis Varland and Simeon Woods-Richardson, three exciting young starting pitchers who should come into the 2023 season immediately ready to contribute big league innings, if called upon. It’s a type of rotation talent and depth that this roster hasn’t seen in a long time.

In the bullpen, the Twins have some holes but it’s anchored by Jhoan Duran, who looked like one of the most dominant late-inning relievers in baseball last year. Fellow youngsters: Jorge Alcala, Jorge Lopez and Griffen Jax all have questions to answer but they all have proven high-leverage upside at the MLB level.

And let’s be honest, bullpen is the easiest part of your roster to improve both during the season and in the offseason. Between their farm system and the MLB trade market, the Twins should be able to improve their bullpen with relative ease, if necessary.

More Moves Coming…?

On Tuesday, Darren Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP) reported that there will be more moves coming from the Minnesota Twins before spring training hits next month. Luis Arraez, Kenta Maeda, Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle have all been in the rumor mill recently and all four are logical options to be moved, for one reason or another.

The Twins have valuable assets sitting in their minor league system, too. 2022 #8 overall pick, Brooks Lee, hit .303 with an .839 OPS and finished his first year of pro baseball at AA – Wichita. He’s 21 years old and should continue to skyrocket through the system.

Prospect of the day: Brooks Lee
– #1 prospect in the #Twins system
– 8th overall pick in ‘22 draft
– Switch hitter pic.twitter.com/b14is4jZzx

— Discuss Baseball (@discussbaseball) December 20, 2022

Royce Lewis (23 y/o) looked more than ready to contribute at the MLB level last season, hitting .300 with a .867 OPS with the Twins (41 PA), until he blew out his knee. Both prospects could be ready for the big leagues by mid-season and both play shortstop.

Could that be where the front office turns, in order to improve the front end of the starting rotation? We’ll see. But even if they don’t, the signing of Carlos Correa has immediately made the 2023 Minnesota Twins a playoff contender and a much, much better team than what took the field in 2022.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan