The Houston Astros have added a name Minnesota Twins fans probably won’t miss seeing in the division anymore.
According to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, Houston hired Conner Watson as its director of hitting. Watson had spent the previous two seasons with the Cleveland Guardians as their assistant director of hitting development.
That move could matter in the AL Central race. Cleveland’s offense was rough this season, finishing 26th in OPS. Even so, the Guardians managed to rank 17th in RBI with runners in scoring position, a small bright spot in an otherwise ugly offensive year.
The Guardians still wound up in the ALCS, thanks to elite pitching and big hits in the right moments, before losing in six games to the Tampa Bay Rays. With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder how much Watson helped shape those timely swings.
Either way, Houston clearly sees him as someone worth bringing in to help a lineup that has been struggling. For the Twins, the bottom line is simple: he’s no longer working inside the division.
Looking ahead, Minnesota has a case to make for contention in 2027. The Twins won’t open as the favorite in the AL Central, but the path does not look closed, either.
They stayed in the playoff chase for most of the season, and the front office added to the big-league roster at the trade deadline because it believed a postseason push was possible. That didn’t end up paying off, but the roster appears to be in a better place now than it was last offseason.
There’s also a sense that the Twins have more help coming. Several young players are reaching the majors, and Tom Pohlad has made it clear he wants to raise payroll this offseason. Put that together, and Minnesota has a real shot to get back to the postseason in 2027.
Of course, the AL Central rarely stays simple for long. Cleveland just won the division, even with those shaky offensive numbers, and history says nobody should count out the Guardians for long. Detroit came into the year as the favorite, only to miss the playoffs entirely despite a strong +71 run differential, scoring 709 runs and allowing 638.
Chicago also spent plenty of time in the mix. The White Sox led the division for much of the season before Cleveland surged back. They still made the playoffs as the third AL Wild Card team, knocked off the Astros in the Wild Card round, then squandered a 2-0 lead in the ALDS against the Guardians.
Kansas City may be the long shot in the group, but it’s not without upside. With Bobby Witt Jr. leading the way and young players like Jac Caglianone in the fold, the Royals have enough talent to make things interesting - the kind of team that could catch people off guard the way the White Sox did this year.
In Other News...
Twins Face One Big Austin Martin Decision This Offseason
Austin Martin spent most of the 2026 season giving the Twins a useful but incomplete picture, and that is what makes his winter so interesting. Over 118 games, he finished with a .228/.341/.315 batting line, enough to show some value without settling the bigger question of where he fits best on a roster that is always trying to balance depth, flexibility and matchup advantages.
Minnesotas next step is to figure out whether Martin can thrive in a more defined platoon look against left-handed pitching, or whether the club is better served using that roster spot another way. The front office plans to evaluate him in a limited role before making a final call, which leaves his status in the middle of the Twins' offseason puzzle rather than at the center of a clean answer. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face A Tough Ryan Jeffers Decision They Can't Delay
Ryan Jeffers is headed into a winter that could reshape the Twins catching picture, and the club may have to make its call before the market really opens up. The looming free-agent issue is straightforward enough on the surface: Minnesota would like to keep a productive regular in the mix, but it is also balancing the long-term path of top catching prospect Vahn Lackey, which makes a multiyear commitment feel complicated.
The market could make the decision even trickier. Clubs such as the Yankees and Cubs have been floated as possible fits, and both would have to weigh Jeffers against their own roster plans and any added cost that comes with signing him. For the Twins, the question is less about whether Jeffers can help now and more about how far they are willing to go to keep him from reaching a market that may already be forming. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Should Be Watching Kyle DeBarge Right Now
The Arizona Fall League is starting to do what it usually does this time of year: give front offices and fans a fresh look at young hitters who are trying to finish the season on a high note. Among the names popping up in the weekly rundown, Kyle DeBarge is one Minnesota followers will want to keep tabs on, especially with the crop of top bats spread across Salt River, Peoria and Scottsdale.
DeBarge spent 2026 at Double-A Wichita, and his placement in the AFL gives the Twins another chance to evaluate where he stands against advanced competition. For a club always searching for the next wave of infield help and offensive depth, his progress is worth watching closely, even before the bigger numbers from this fall start to settle in. [Read more 🡒]