Thursday, October 29

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- We’ve just about reached the end of the postseason, which means that awards season and the hot stove are just around the corner.

We’ve already talked some about the hot stove here, but haven’t really gotten into awards season. It’s time to rectify that, although it’s worth acknowledging that it might be a fairly quiet stretch for the club.

Here’s a look at the Twins’ potential candidates for the various awards that are going to be handed out over the coming days and weeks. For a full look at awards season and all of the dates and details, visit this link.

Sunday: Rawlings Gold Glove Awards

Here’s where you’ll find one of the best stories of the 2026 Twins: Brooks Lee. Going into last winter, Lee was told he needed to get better at shortstop. He put in the work and came into Spring Training quicker and more explosive. But as the season went on, it became clear that his best fit was elsewhere. Lee was moved to third base -- where he absolutely thrived.

His defensive skill set translated well to the hot corner, and Lee also enjoyed his best season at the plate. It added up to a 2.8 fWAR season for the 25-year-old, clarifying and cementing his future with Minnesota.

And now he’s a Gold Glove nominee at his new presumably permanent position. Lee showed impressive movements, his usual quick hands and a good arm at third, making the move look very shrewd and making that offseason work pay off in an unexpected way.

Nov. 11: BBWAA Cy Young Award

This year’s BBWAA awards are probably going to be quiet for the Twins. It’s conceivable that they could get one or two downballot votes for Rookie of the Year and MVP, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll have a finalist for any of the five major BBWAA awards: Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young, Reliever of the Year, and Most Valuable Player.

But it’s not impossible that Taj Bradley could get a couple of fifth-place votes in the Cy Young balloting. Bradley finished fifth in the American League in strikeouts (205), 10th in innings (178 1/3), 11th in ERA (3.73), and sixth in opponents’ batting average (.214). He won’t be a finalist (that’s only the top three finishers in the voting), but it wouldn’t be shocking if he got some recognition.

Nov. 11: All-MLB

Minnesota has five nominees for the All-MLB teams, which will be announced at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas.

Kody Clemens, Lee, Ryan Jeffers, Byron Buxton and Bradley are all candidates for All-MLB. Whether any of them break through to the first or second team is to be determined. The best bet probably would have been Jeffers if he’d stayed healthy -- it’s not impossible he was on his way to some downballot MVP consideration -- but they were all nominated for strong seasons.

Nov. 17: Silver Slugger

Here’s one to keep an eye on. Jeffers surely is a candidate at catcher and Clemens could get some consideration at second base, but how about Luke Keaschall?

He could go under the radar due to the variety of positions he played. Keaschall began the year at second base, played some center and ended up in right field. But by the end of the year, Keaschall had put together an excellent offensive season. His .374 on-base percentage was higher than any full-time right fielder in the AL, and he added some excellent baserunning to boot. If he’d stayed at second, he might be a favorite for the award.

Keaschall probably won’t win a Silver Slugger this year. His slow start and not playing regularly at one position will likely both hurt him. But he could at least be in the running, and he’s certainly a player with a chance to win the award before he’s done.

The Twins announced Tuesday that right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman underwent surgery on Tuesday morning. Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, who works at the offices of Dr. James Andrews, performed successful arthroscopic surgery on Hoffman’s right elbow. According to a team spokesperson, Dr. Dugas “removed a bone chip and performed a debridement procedure.”

Hoffman should be able to start throwing in about eight weeks and the expectation is that he will be ready for the start of the 2027 season.

The veteran right-hander experienced some forearm soreness late in the year and was placed on the injured list in order to clear a roster spot for Kaelen Culpepper in the season’s final weekend. At the time, the hope had been that rest would be enough to knock out the issue, but instead he underwent surgery.

Let’s go with some good new tunes for you. Y’all be kind and look out for each other, OK?

• Dummy, “Full Spectrum Dominance”
• Fontaines DC, “Marianne”
• CHVRCHES, “Overthinker”
• MK, “Obsession”
• Cloud Nothings, “Death Keeps Me Alive”

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