The Twins may have missed the playoffs, but their lineup still did enough to land the club on FanSided’s list of Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award finalists. That alone says plenty about how Minnesota’s season unfolded: the bats held up their end, while the pitching staff kept dragging the team down.
That imbalance was the defining problem in 2026. Minnesota’s offense put together a strong year, but the mound work never matched it.
The bullpen, especially early on, was a mess after the club dealt Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland and Griffin Jax at the 2025 trade deadline and then failed to add top-end relief help last offseason. Jeff Hoffman, A.J.
Minter and Yoendrys Gomez helped steady things later, but the damage was already done. By season’s end, the Twins’ relievers ranked 26th in ERA at 4.74, 20th in FIP at 4.25, 20th in strikeout rate at 21.9% and 29th in walk rate at 11.2%.
There was at least a better stretch after the trade deadline. Minnesota’s bullpen climbed to ninth in FIP at 3.75 in that span, a sign that the group could be headed in a better direction.
Hoffman and Gomez are under team control next year, and Andrew Morris showed flashes of dominance, which gives the Twins a base to build on. Tom Pohlad also plans to increase payroll, another reason the relief corps could look much stronger in 2027.
The rotation had its own set of problems. Minnesota finished 22nd in ERA at 4.43, and the injury list did a lot of the damage.
Pablo López missed the entire season, Mick Abel was out for most of it, and Joe Ryan missed about a month late in the year. Connor Prielipp had stretches where he looked terrific, but he still finished with a 4.87 ERA.
Zebby Matthews also struggled, posting a 4.90 ERA. Bailey Ober was solid without really taking over, while Taj Bradley turned in an excellent season and Dean Kremer gave the club quality work after arriving at the trade deadline.
That’s why the Twins’ path forward is pretty clear. If López, Abel and Ryan can stay on the field for most of 2026, the rotation should look a lot better. If the injuries pile up again, though, it’s tough to see Minnesota getting back to the postseason.
For all the pitching issues, the offense gave the Twins something to hang onto. The club likely won’t take home the team Silver Slugger Award, but the numbers were strong enough to make the point. Among American League teams, Minnesota finished second in runs with 739, fourth in OPS at .720, fifth in hits with 1,337 and sixth in home runs with 187.
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The concern now is what comes next, because Minnesota did not just rent Hoffman for a few weeks and walk away empty-handed. The deal cost the Twins a notable prospect haul, and with Hoffman now coming off elbow surgery, the long-term value of the swap suddenly feels less certain than it did in the moment. If he is ready for Opening Day, the Twins may still come out ahead, but the development of the young talent they sent to Toronto will shape how this gamble is judged for a while. [Read more 🡒]