Sunday, November 08

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Well, that’s the last time I’ll write that dateline for quite a while. Spring Training has wrapped up, and by the time you read this, the Twins will be in Baltimore and I may well be also.

As expected, it was an interesting camp, with a couple of significant competitions and the last roster spots coming down to the wire. There are big questions facing the 2026 Twins as they prepare for Opening Day at Camden Yards, starting with but not limited to the bullpen.

But there’s also a lot of talent, and plenty of reasons to watch. Not many teams feature two young starters with the kind of stuff and upside that Taj Bradley and Mick Abel possess. Not many teams have an infield stacked with former Top 100 prospects, as the Twins do with Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis.

The prognosticators are down on this team, and it’s entirely possible they’ll be right. But this is an interesting team, and if you’re looking for reasons to be optimistic, reasons to watch them, there’s no shortage. Here’s a look at what I’m thinking about the 2026 Twins as the season dawns.

What needs to go right? The “young veterans” need to hit

The Twins are at a bit of a make-or-break stage with a group of hitters that they hoped would be the core of their lineup by now: Lewis, Lee, and Matt Wallner in particular. All were first-round picks. All were highly-regarded prospects. And none of them has put together the kind of consistent success that Twins fans (and the front office) dreamed of. They’ve all shown flashes, though, and they’re all at a point in their careers when a step forward wouldn’t be shocking. For this lineup to be as good as it can be, at least two of the three need to produce consistently at a high level.

Great unknown: The right side of the bullpen

Minnesota actually has a pretty robust left-handed relief corps, with Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda and Kody Funderburk. As for the right side? It’s still a work in progress. It remains an open question who would pitch the eighth and/or ninth with a lead. Cole Sands and Justin Topa each have a bit of closing experience, and Zak Kent can miss bats, but there’s no obvious candidate to close out games.

Team MVP will be: Byron Buxton

Let’s not overthink this. It wouldn’t be shocking if Wallner hits 35 homers, or if Keaschall hits .320 with a slew of doubles. Lewis has shown superstar upside earlier in his career. But there’s no reason to get cute. Buxton is the team’s best player, coming off a career year and showing an improved ability to stay in the lineup. He’ll be batting second rather than leadoff so as to increase his chances to drive in runs, and he remains one of the most dynamic all-around players in the game. If you want to pick a dark horse, Keaschall would be a good one, but I’m not going to get cute here.

Team Cy Young will be: Joe Ryan

Once again, there’s certainly an opportunity to try to get clever here. Abel was superb throughout camp, and Bradley appears that he could be on the verge of a breakout year. But Ryan is this team’s ace, the Opening Day starter, the guy who will shoulder the biggest load with Pablo López injured. He’s a top-25 or 30 starter in baseball, someone who throws strikes and misses bats, and continues to develop as a competitor and practitioner of the art of pitching.

Bold prediction: Lewis finds his form

It’s been a rough last year and a half or so for the former No. 1 overall pick and Top 10 prospect, who even after getting healthy last year spent much of the season searching for consistency. But Lewis has started working with an outside swing coach and feels on the same page with new manager Derek Shelton. He’s healthy and in a good mental space. I’m not saying he regains his late-2023 form, but let’s say he makes his first All-Star team.

Last year, we went with album openers for Opening Day, and that was fun. Let’s do it again, with input from the rest of the beat. Y’all be kind and look out for each other, OK?

The Hold Steady, “Constructive Summer”

Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Smashing Pumpkins, “Cherub Rock”

Young the Giant, “Apartment”

2Pac, “Ambitionz Az A Ridah”

(Thanks to Aaron Gleeman, Dan Hayes, Betsy Helfand, and Bobby Nightengale for their contributions)

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