Major League Baseball has laid out the Twins’ spring training path for next year, even if the ground underneath the sport still feels shaky.
On Friday, MLB released spring training schedules for all 30 clubs, with every team set to be in action on Feb. 19.
For Minnesota, that means a Feb. 19 start to camp in Fort Myers, Fla., with the Twins hosting the Tampa Bay Rays at Lee Health Sports Complex. Pitchers and catchers can report as early as Feb. 9, and position players are due shortly after.
The catch, of course, is that none of this is locked in stone. MLB and the MLB Players’ Association are still working toward a new collective bargaining agreement, and if there isn’t a deal by Dec. 1, owners are expected to lock out players.
That’s the same basic fight the sides had in December 2021, when a deal eventually came together in time for the regular season to begin on schedule. This time, the mood is far less hopeful, with owners pushing for a salary cap and players flatly rejecting it.
Even so, the schedule offers a look at what Minnesota’s spring could look like if the calendar holds. One notable wrinkle: the Twins are set to see the New York Mets twice, which is unusual for a team that doesn’t normally travel to Port St.
Lucie on the east side of Florida. Minnesota will host the Mets on March 3, then head to New York’s spring home on March 13.
Both games will be the first at those sites in 13 years.
The Twins’ annual Fort Myers “Chairman’s Cup” series with the Boston Red Sox is also on the slate. Minnesota will host Boston on Feb. 26, and the Red Sox will return the favor on March 18.
Minnesota’s final home game of the spring is scheduled for March 20 against the Atlanta Braves. The Twins and Red Sox are also listed for another meeting on March 21, though the location has not been set.
If everything proceeds as planned, the regular season opens March 25 - the earliest Opening Day in Twins history - with a trip to Kansas City to face the Royals. Minnesota’s home opener is scheduled for April 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For now, though, the entire schedule comes with the same warning label: it all depends on labor talks.
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