The Twins head toward 2027 with a clearer path than they’ve had in a while, but the roster still has some obvious holes that have to be filled before anyone talks seriously about a World Series run.
Minnesota has missed the postseason for three straight years, dating back to 2023, and has managed just one postseason series win - the wild card series - since its last championship in 1991. That drought is the backdrop for everything now. The organization has slipped since 2023, but for the first time heading into 2027, there’s at least a real chance the Twins can get back to October.
The biggest reason 2026 went sideways was the bullpen. Minnesota’s relief corps finished 26th in baseball with a 4.74 ERA, and that kind of production just doesn’t hold up for a team trying to get back into contention.
The closer for most of the season was a waiver claim, and he faded down the stretch. If the Twins are going to climb back into the mix, notable bullpen additions are a must.
There’s also a developmental piece here. Minnesota needs to turn more waiver claims and lower-level pitchers into useful arms.
The organizations that consistently get pitching right - teams like the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox - tend to do that well. They find pitchers on the waiver wire or in the Rule 5 draft and turn them into real contributors.
The Twins have to prove they can do the same.
The good news is that the starting rotation looks healthier on paper. There’s plenty of depth there, and Joe Ryan’s final few starts of the season pointed in a promising direction from a health standpoint.
But the Twins still need better seasons from Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp in 2027 if the rotation is going to take another step. One of them may even begin the year in Triple-A because of the depth Minnesota has, but both need to provide more consistent quality than they did in 2026.
Offensively, the picture is more encouraging. Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez are two young players expected to make a major impact on the 2027 lineup, and both should help lift a 2026 offense that was only middling. Add in a hopefully healthy Byron Buxton, plus some improvement on the margins, and the lineup should be in better shape.
Catching is another area that needs attention. Ryan Jeffers and Victor Caratini are both headed for free agency, so that spot deserves a close look as the offseason unfolds.
There’s talent on this roster and real upside in a few key places. But if the Twins want that promise to turn into something bigger in 2027, they still have plenty of work to do.
In Other News...
Former Twins Catcher Suddenly Caught Up In MLB's Manager Shakeup
The Angels managerial reset has turned into one of the offseasons more surprising storylines, and it has pulled a familiar former Twin into the middle of it. Los Angeles declined the 2027 contract option on Kurt Suzuki after his first season running the club, a year that ended at 62-100 and brought the franchise its first 100-loss season. Now the Angels will begin looking for a new manager and coaching staff, putting an abrupt stop to Suzukis first crack at the job.
For Minnesota fans, Suzukis name still lands with some relevance because of what he was before he was a manager. He made his lone All-Star appearance with the Twins in 2014 at Target Field, and his latest career turn comes just as the Twins have settled their own dugout situation. Twins executive chair Tom Pohlad confirmed that Derek Shelton will remain Minnesotas manager for at least one more season, giving the club some stability while another familiar name heads back into the market. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Pitching Staff Could Be Headed For A Dramatic New Direction
The Twins are turning a key part of their staff over to Brian Reith, bringing in a pitching coach with deep roots in the Rays organization after Pete Makis departure. Reith spent the past five seasons with Durham, Tampa Bays Triple-A affiliate, where he built a reputation for helping develop pitchers, and now he inherits a Minnesota staff that will be watching closely to see how his approach translates at the major league level.
For the Twins, the intrigue goes beyond a simple coaching change because Reith arrives with familiarity of pitchers who could matter in Minnesotas immediate future. His background in the Rays system connects him to Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley, two arms whose development has already given evaluators plenty to study, and his philosophy could shape how the Twins handle their pitchers going forward. The question now is how much of that influence shows up once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Hoffman Gives Twins A Real Bullpen Question For 2027
Jeff Hoffman gave the Twins plenty to think about after arriving at the trade deadline and settling in as one of the more interesting arms in the bullpen. Over 18 innings, he looked the part of a high-leverage reliever, missing bats at a strong clip and showing enough on the mound to suggest Minnesota may have more than just a short-term solution on its hands.
The bigger question is whether the version of Hoffman the Twins saw late in the year can be trusted in the role that matters most. His pitch mix and underlying numbers point to a reliever who can compete for the primary closer job in 2027, but the command drift that showed up in Minnesota leaves the door open for the club to keep shopping for established bullpen help this offseason. [Read more 🡒]