In their recent string of losses, it’s been the Twins bats that have gone to sleep. Minnesota’s pitching staff remains among the best in the MLB. But the Twins’ starting rotation wasn’t always the bright spot of this roster.

Kyle Gibson signing with Tampa Bay Rays

Not that long ago, it was a group lead by names like Phil Hughes, Michael Pineda and Kyle Gibson. Those were not the good old days. Speaking of Gibby, who is now at the end of his career and recently released by the Baltimore Orioles, he has a new team. Coincidentally, it’s the aforementioned Tampa Bay Rays.

Veteran righthander Kyle Gibson is signing with the Rays

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 28, 2025

This offseason, Gibson flirted with retirement, before the Baltimore Orioles lured him back onto the mound with a $5.25 million salary. Unfortunately for Kyle and the Orioles, he struggled (along with the rest of the staff) and he was DFA’d last week.

The Rays play in the same AL East that the Baltimore Orioles, whose starting staff has been the worst in all of baseball. Tampa Bay — who held the Twins to four runs in three games during their series — checks in at 25th overall.

In four starts with Baltimore, Gibson allowed 23 runs on 29 hits across just 12 1/3 innings. He had a paltry 10/7 K/BB and served up seven dingers. It’s possible that Gibson provides the Rays some length out of the bullpen, and is able to show a level of veteran leadership.

Related: Byron Buxton Return Timeline Updated…

There isn’t much on the line for Tampa Bay either. Baltimore is footing the entire $5.25 million bill after Gibson cleared waivers. The Rays are on the hook for just a prorated portion of the big league minimum. The Rays will come to Minnesota over 4th of July weekend at Target Field. We’ll see if Gibby is still around by then.

Rays send former Minnesota Twins catcher packing

On Tuesday night, former Minnesota Twins catching prospect Ben Rortvedt played against his former franchise. The Rays designated him for assignment, immediately after that game vs the Twins, because they needed to make room for newly acquired Matt Thais from the Chicago White Sox.

#Rays are expected to DFA C Ben Rortvedt to make room for Thaiss to be added to roster Wednesday. Rortvedt was emotional in clubhouse saying goodbyes to players.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 28, 2025

Rortvedt was in his second year with Tampa Bay, after joining them in 2024, following a stop with the New York Yankees. The former second round pick from Wisconsin has always been a defensive player first. Last season, he batted .228/.317/.303 in 112 games for Tampa Bay. The 80 OPS+ with plus defense.

This season, Rortvedt appeared in 26 games and batted just .095/.186/.297 (-11 OPS+). At 27 years old, however, it’s likely he’ll find another shot somewhere. Wherever he lands, it’s probably be in the minors.

Their prowess on the bump afforded them an opportunity to demote struggling starter Simeon Woods Richardson, in favor of higher-ceiling young depth in Zebby Matthews. Not every team is afforded that kind of pitching luxury.

Kyle Gibson DFA’d by Baltimore Orioles

Like the Baltimore Orioles, whose early season pitching struggles has dropped them to 0-6 against the Twins this season, and 15-29 overall. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has already been fired. And on Sunday, former Minnesota Twins 1st round pick Kyle Gibson was cut loose.

The Baltimore Orioles, who signed veteran starter Kyle Gibson to 1-year, $5.25 million this spring, cuts ties with him after 4 starts and 12.1 innings (0-3, 16.78 ERA).

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 18, 2025

Gibson gave the Orioles 12 1/3 innings across four starts. He allowed a whopping 29 hits, 23 runs, seven homers, and had just a 10/7 K/BB. To say a 16.78 ERA doesn’t do it justice is probably eye-opening enough.

This spring, the Baltimore Orioles sought additional pitching depth. It looked like a serious weakness for a roster with intentions to compete in 2025. So, they talked Gibson, who’s 37 years old and was ready to hang up his cleats, into a return as an innings-eater, enticing him with $5.25 million. Kyle has history in Baltimore, having pitched their in 2023.

Not the Kyle Gibson Baltimore was hoping for

As a starter that season for the Orioles, Gibson posted a league-high 33 starts and tallied 192 innings. He also allowed a league-high 198 hits while posting a 4.73 ERA (4.13 FIP). That Orioles team was young, but the youth pushed them to a 101-61 record to win the AL East.

There is still plenty of youth on this Baltimore team, but they haven’t performed and the pitching has been dreadful. Gibson needed time to ramp up after missing spring training. After three starts in the minors he joined the major league rotation.

We're through the top of the 2nd, and Tides starter Kyle Gibson has retired six-of-seven batters faced. pic.twitter.com/gdExYTJvJz

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) April 10, 2025

Velocity has never been a calling card for Gibson. It’s not as though it is diminished further at this point either. His whiff rate, however, is at a career-low 8.6% and his 60.7% hard hit rate is otherworldly. When opposing hitters are barreling 14.3% of your pitchers, that’s a recipe for disaster.

End of the line for former Minnesota Twins starter?

It’s possible that this is it for Gibson. He didn’t receive enough interest to sign a deal prior to spring training. He only went back to Baltimore after they came calling just before the season. If retirement was already on his mind, then it’s very possible he’s thrown his last baseball from an MLB mound..

Gibson gets a nice parting gift from Baltimore, in that his entire $5.25 million salary is guaranteed. He can ride off into the sunset while topping off the more than $73 million he made during his career.

Related: New Minnesota Twins Promotions Bring Two Debuts

The seven years Gibson spent with the Minnesota Twins to start his big league career, makes up more than half of his 13-years of total MLB service time. The 2009 No. 22 overall pick pitched in 193 games in a Twins uniform, posting a 4.85 ERA across 1,087 innings.

Buxton’s 10th homer of the season — a solo-shot that raised his 2025 batting average to .261 and his OPS to .834 — came in the top of the third inning. It was just the latest in a run of unbelievable offense provided by the now 31-year-old former No. 1 overall MiLB prospect.

Byron Buxton has his ninth season with double digit home runs.

2015 – 2
2016 – 10
2017 – 16
2018 – 0
2019 – 10
2020 – 13
2021 – 19
2022 – 28
2023 – 17
2024 – 18
2025 – 10 pic.twitter.com/b9eEMRft4K

— Twins Dingers (@TwinsDingers) May 15, 2025

Byron Buxton is off to one of the best and healthiest starts of his oft-injured 11-year MLB career, It’s no coincidence Buck’s hot streak aligns with that of the Twins. We’ve seen that throughout his time in Minnesota, as well.

Minnesota Twins lose Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa during ugly collision

Of course, just when things start going well for the Minnesota Twins, we are quickly reminded just how fast those good vibes can be swiped from underneath us. Example No. 35,491,561,544 came Thursday afternoon, when the former Platinum Glove winner called for a shallow fly ball way too late, causing a brutal rear-end style collision with fellow 2012 top two pick and Platinum Glove teammate Carlos Correa.

Here's the collision that caught the Twins to biggest stars and sent Carlos Correa to the training room. pic.twitter.com/F91zyrWmNn

— Ted (@tlschwerz) May 15, 2025

This collision looks way more like a two-ton truck barreling down I-94 when it slams into a similar sized vehicle that had just come to a complete stop. Sunglasses and hats were flying, both superstars wound up on the ground… and only one, Buxton, got up initially. Correa immediately left the game.

Related: Minnesota Twins Demote Struggling Starter

Then, after remaining in center field for the rest of the third inning, Byron didn’t come out of the dugout in the fourth. We do not yet know the extent of either player’s injuries, at this point. But according to the latest update by Twins.TV voice Cory Provus, which came during the bottom of the eighth inning this afternoon, both players have been placed in concussion protocol.

Man, if the Minnesota Twins could choose two guys to bubble wrap during a season, they’d be Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton. On Thursday, they lost both in one hard-to-watch moment.

There have been rumors Carlos Correa, Pablo Lopez and just about every other notable name are on the trade block, but if those names return, it’s very plausible they are competitive yet again. The AL Central was tightly contested last season. Minnesota, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City all finished within 10 games of one another.

Aside from the White Sox being literally the worst team in Major League Baseball history, the division was one of the more competitive in baseball last summer. The problem for the Minnesota Twins came when they played against teams at the top of the MLB food chain, which isn’t a new issue. ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote Thursday about the Twins’ biggest kryptonite.

Minnesota Twins can’t beat good teams…?

“That was the Twins’ record against the Yankees (0-6), Guardians (3-10) and Orioles (0-6), the three best teams in the AL in 2024. The Twins went 5-9 against the three best AL teams in 2023 (when they won a weak AL Central with 87 wins) and 6-14 against them in 2022 (finishing 78-84). That’s a three-year record of 14-45 against the top three teams in the AL.”

David Schoenfield on the Twins struggles against good teams (ESPN)

Minnesota was 10.5 games back in the division, but seven of those games were a direct result of losing to the Guardians. The early two-game sweep at Target Field set the tone and they never recovered from there.

The consistent inability to beat the New York Yankees is also brutal. Juan Soto isn’t in Aaron Boone’s lineup for 2025, but Minnesota has never had the upper hand in that matchup. The Twins don’t necessarily need to win these season series’ but they can’t afford for the tallies to be so lopsided.

Related: Minnesota Twins Trade Lefty Reliever to Boston for Utility Help

Fears about playoff performance aren’t unfounded. There are no bad teams in the playoffs, especially as you get deeper into October. So… what’s the problem? Why can’t the Twins figure it out vs the best teams in the league? Because they don’t have enough talent, according to Schoenfield.

It seems as if the Twins just aren’t talented enough to beat the best teams. It’s unclear how they’ll change that in 2025. Certainly, getting Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton on the field more often will help — but at this point, can you really count on those three averaging, say, 130 games? Not really. The Twins have the versatility to fill in for that trio with multi-faceted Willi Castro plus shortstop Brooks Lee. But the Twins, hamstrung by their payroll situation, have been unable to add new talent to the roster. The division is still winnable, but they’ll have to figure out how to beat Cleveland head-to-head.”

How can the Twins right the ship…?

This offseason, Derek Falvey is strapped for additional funds, which makes adding more talent pretty difficult. Hopefully that will change under new ownership. Until then, as Schoenfield notes, it’ll be up to Correa, Buxton and Lewis to produce.

Consistency is the key for the Twins. The inability to generate a baseline level of lineup performance was a problem each of the past two seasons. David Popkins is out as the hitting coach and Matt Borgschulte will be tasked with finding answers.

Related: Former Minnesota Twin Retiring After 12 MLB Seasons

There are a couple of key issues that stick out for the Minnesota Twins, when taking a deeper look at the numbers. For a team that regularly utilizes pinch hitters (356 plate appearances from substitutes), a .662 OPS with just 29 extra-base hits isn’t a good enough result. That’s a near 70-point drop in OPS compared to starters.

Royce Lewis missed his sixth career grand slam by a foot.

It would have tied him for seventh-most in #MNTwins history.

Instead, he'll have to settle for a two-run double. Lewis is now 9-for-17 (.529) with 30 RBIs in his career with the bases loaded.pic.twitter.com/UWS9Vx2dhx

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) September 12, 2024

Hitting with runners in scoring position is also a huge problem. Last season, the Minnesota Twins had 155 plate appearances with the bases loaded, where they slashed .234/.279/.367, hitting only one grand slam, and 13 extra-base hits.

If Minnesota wants to contend with the best teams, then they’ll need their best production when opportunities present themselves. Consistency is a must in 2025, and there’s a clear path to reversing course from an otherwise ugly season.

Yes, three wildcard teams will make the MLB Postseason in 2022, and going forward. That means 6 teams in each conference and 12 playoff teams in total. Two teams in each conference will receive a 1st-round bye and will not participate in Wildcard Weekend. That leaves the worst division winner of the three (the AL Central this season), and three wildcard teams to duke it out.

Twins’ Playoff Picture

The AL West (Astros) and AL East (Yankees) have far better records than the teams battling for AL Central superiority. That means, unless the Yankees continue to lose at the same pace they have been lately, the Twins will play on Wildcard Weekend, even if they win the division.

As of Saturday morning, the Minnesota Twins sit 1 game back of the Cleveland Guardians, in the AL Central standings. The White Sox are 3.5 games behind the division leaders. But winning the AL Central isn’t the Twins’ only opportunity to get into the postseason.

Earlier in the year, many believed the AL East was so good that they would run away with all three wildcard sports in the American League. But with 45 games remaining on the Twins schedule, they sit just 0.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the 3rd wildcard spot and just 2 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the 1st wildcard.

Wildcard Weekend explained

There are more significant changes that need to be mentioned, as it pertains to the 1st round of the upcoming playoffs. There will be two wildcard series in each conference (four total). Three wildcard teams and the worst of the three division winners. All 1st round series will be “best-of-3”. So, the first team to win two games will move onto the Divisional Round.

The other twist? All three games of each series will be played at the higher seed’s stadium. No switching locations. That means, should the Minnesota Twins win the AL Central, but miss out on a 1st round bye, they’d play all 1st round games at Target Field (vs the #3 wildcard team). The #1 wildcard will also play all of that weekend at home (vs the #2 wildcard team).

After the wildcard round, the playoff bracket looks much more familiar. Eight teams battling through the Divisional and Championship rounds, to reach the World Series. All games, from the Divisional round on will be “best-of-7”.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Jorge Lopez to Twins. Nice pickup.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 2, 2022

Full deal, per sources:

Minnesota gets: closer Jorge Lopez

Baltimore gets: LHP Cade Povich, RHP Yennier Cano, RHP Juan Nuñez and LHP Juan Rojas@JonHeyman was first with Lopez going to Minnesota

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022

Jorge Lopez is the absolute perfect pickup for the Twins bullpen. The 29-years-old is under contract through 2024 and he’s been dominant this season, posting a 1.68 ERA, 0.972 WHIP, 2.99 FIP and an absurd 241 ERA+ in 48.1 innings pitched. Lopez’ arrival in the bullpen slides Duran down into the #2 role and Jax into the #3. That means less of Emilio Pagan, Tyler Duffey and most importantly, Joe Smith.

The aggressiveness of this splash also signals that the Minnesota Twins, while late to the deadline party, are looking to get tipsy before closing time. With 7 hours remaining until last call, Falvine still needs to find another solid bullpen arm and, most importantly, a front-rotation starting pitcher.

Package Details

Cade Povich is the #22 ranked prospect in the Twins organization, according to MLB.com. Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) ranked him #20 in the system, in a more updated post-draft prospect ranking, at the end of July. Povich is a 22-year-old, left-handed starting pitcher who’s had an up and down 2022 season at high-A Cedar Rapids.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

After a week or two of *not* terrible baseball, the Minnesota Twins had perked the ears of card-carrying optimists inside the team’s fanbase, who were still grasping for any last straws of hope to this disheartening 2021 season. But after losing two of three to Kansas City at Target Field last weekend, the Twins landed in Baltimore on Monday needing to take advantage of a 3-game set vs the worst team in baseball.

After a sphincter-tightening win in game one, a depleted Minnesota baseball team somehow found a way to lose the next two vs a team, in the Orioles, who had lost 13-straight entering the series. Now, the Twins are 11 games under .500 and boarding a plane set for Kansas City with their tails between their legs.

Orioles have won 2 in a row pic.twitter.com/SYMFIlfuyT

— Mike Combs ???? (@mcombs) June 3, 2021

There's the proverbial nail in the coffin. #MNTwins drop a series to Baltimore, and are now 11 games below .500.

2022 is a new horizon, and there should be reason for a significant rebound, but use 2021 to make sure that happens now.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) June 3, 2021

Look, it’s time to face reality. This season is over. Stop hoping and start golfing or doing something else with your time because the Twins don’t deserve your attention. The Falvine front office, however, is at a crossroads. Their team is 1/3 through the 2021 season and last in a rather weak AL Central. This is a team that entered Spring Training with big dreams that have all too quickly turned to the darkest of nightmares.

The reasons don’t matter

Maybe you’re someone who likes to make excuses for your favorite teams. That’s fine, there are plenty of them for the Twins. All of Major League Baseball is struggling to stay healthy this season but the Twins are on another level, losing just about everyone in their starting lineup for at least some significant portion of the season. Currently, they’re missing 2/3 of their outfield, half of their pitching staff and a catcher who just had surgery on a “groin contusion”.

Remember when we were concerned about how much Josh Donaldson was going to play? Luck hasn’t been on the Twins’ side either. They’ve struggled with runners in scoring position and been snake bit in the most ludacris of moments. Just ask Matt Shoemaker, he’ll tell you all about how unlucky he is.

But at the end of the day, it doesn’t fucking matter anymore. Put lipstick on a pig or don’t. It’s still a pig and the 2021 Minnesota Twins still suck. The trade deadline is July 31. That means we have 60 days to get everything we can for pieces the front office doesn’t see as part of this organization’s future.

Let’s hit the phones.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan