Minnesota’s long wait finally ended on Oct. 4, 2023, when the Twins blanked the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 at Target Field to finish off a sweep of the American League Wild Card Series. It was their first playoff series win in 21 years, a drought that stretched all the way back to 2002, when they beat the Oakland Athletics in the American League Division Series - the run made famous in the award-winning film "Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt.
That clincher came behind a sharp outing from Sonny Gray, who worked five scoreless innings and struck out six. Carlos Correa supplied the key hit in the third inning with an RBI single, and that was enough for Minnesota to close the door.
The Twins had already set the tone a day earlier with a 3-1 win in Game 1 on Oct. 3, 2023, which gave them their first postseason game victory in 18 years. Pablo López turned in a gem, and Royce Lewis powered the offense with two home runs.
Those wins pushed Minnesota into the 2023 ALDS against the Houston Astros. The Twins opened the series with a 6-4 loss, then answered with a 6-2 victory in Game 2 at Daikin Park, giving them their first ALDS win in 18 years.
But that was as good as it got. Once the series moved to Minneapolis, the Astros took Game 3, 9-1, and finished the Twins in Game 4, 3-2.
Houston advanced to the ALCS against the Texas Rangers and lost in seven games.
For Minnesota, the 2023 run felt like the start of something bigger. Instead, the club missed the postseason the next three straight seasons.
Payroll was cut by $30 million after 2023, then only slightly increased before the 2025 season. A trade-deadline fire sale and limited spending last offseason left the Twins heading into 2026 with their lowest payroll in more than a decade.
In Other News...
Ryan Jeffers Just Put A Real Twins Offseason Decision In Play
The Yankees passed on adding a catcher at the trade deadline, leaving them with a platoon of Austin Wells and Ali Sanchez while the rest of the market moved around them. That choice now helps frame the winter for Ryan Jeffers, whose name stayed put at the deadline and who suddenly looks like one of the more interesting decisions on the Twins' offseason board.
Joel Reuter projects Jeffers to remain in Minnesota rather than sign elsewhere, a reminder that the Twins may be weighing more than just their own roster fit if they explore the position in any way. New York does not have much catching help close to the majors, with Omar Alfonzo not projected until 2028, so the way the Yankees handled July could end up shaping a different kind of conversation when the offseason actually arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Royce Lewis Now Faces A Twins Question He Cant Avoid
Royce Lewis has spent much of the last two seasons trying to live up to the standard he set in 2023, when his postseason run made him look like the kind of middle-of-the-order force the Twins could build around. Since then, the offensive profile has shifted in a way that is hard to ignore. His slugging percentage and overall run production have slipped, and the underlying contact numbers point to a hitter who is still capable of impact but not nearly as consistently as before.
The concern is not a lack of bat speed or raw pop, because those traits are still there and show up in the barrel rate. The issue is more about how often Lewis is making the right kind of swing decisions, especially against breaking and offspeed pitches, where the whiffs have piled up. For Minnesota, that leaves an uncomfortable question hanging over one of its most talented players: whether the next step is a return to form, or a longer stretch of figuring out how to turn loud tools back into dependable offense. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Adams Just Made The Twins Bullpen Battle A Lot Tougher
With six relievers already looking secure for Minnesotas Opening Day bullpen, the last two spots are turning into a real competition, and Travis Adams has pushed his way back into the mix. Adams had an uneven start to the 2026 season, but he finished much stronger in September, enough to keep his name in the conversation as the Twins sort through the final pieces of the relief corps.
Adams year also offered the kind of mixed rsum that makes these decisions tricky. His 4.58 ERA tells part of the story, but the usage and effectiveness numbers suggest a pitcher whose stuff can work, even if some offerings were hit harder than others. For a Twins club that still has room for only two more bullpen arms, that late improvement may be enough to keep Adams in the hunt a little longer. [Read more 🡒]